


Thirteen Minutes

by Crysania



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Storm Chasing, Tornadoes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:55:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26544820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crysania/pseuds/Crysania
Summary: "The National Weather Service states the average lead-time for tornado warnings is now 13 minutes nationally, up significantly from the 1980s when lead-times were estimated at less than five minutes."Rey Johnson has one thing and one thing only on her Bucket List: See a tornado. When Maz, her former foster mother who adopted her as a teenager, passes away suddenly, she finds herself in charge of a veritable fortune and instructions to book herself on a storm chasing vacation. She does so, booking a seat on a trip with the Millennium Falcon Storm Chasing Tours, a company run by a gruff older gentleman who puts Rey immediately at ease. Much to Rey’s surprise…and annoyance…Han has temporarily turned the reins of the company over to his son, Ben, who has recently returned home to take over the family business and is not happy about it.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 33
Kudos: 91
Collections: To Rapture the Earth and the Seas: the 2020 Reylo Fanfiction Anthology





	1. Prologue

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50359619351/in/dateposted-public/)

Rey takes a seat on one of the rattier chairs in the room. It was Maz’s favorite, the chair her adopted mother spent as much time in as possible, especially during her last handful of months. She had just seemed tired for a long time. Tired and a little forgetful. Rey started doing more for her: making dinner, getting the mail, making sure bills were paid.

It was when her vision, already bad enough that she needed glasses so thick they made her eyes look huge, blurred and she could no longer even read a book that Rey had convinced her to go to the doctor.  _ Just for a checkup _ , she’d told her.  _ Maybe you need new glasses _ .

But that wasn’t it.

Rey knew it wasn’t. 

And she was right. There was a large tumor in some area of her brain. Even now Rey can’t remember what words they used. It didn’t matter. They’d operated, removed as much as they could. Radiation and chemo followed, CT scans and PET scans. The cancer in her brain had originated in her lungs, a result of years of smoking two packs a day.

In the end, she only had four months left with Maz. 

It still doesn’t feel real. She’s on her own. Again. This time, at least, she’s not going to be tossed into another foster home, the nightmare reality of her early life. Maz, with her huge heart, had adopted Rey after fostering her for some years. She would always have a home with her, even when she was gone.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” says a voice and Rey’s head shoots up. A small man comes scurrying into the room. Not as tiny as Maz, but still shorter than Rey’s five feet and seven inches. He adjusts his glasses as he sits down at Maz’s desk and pulls some papers out of his briefcase. “I see we’re all here?”

By “we” he means Rey and a couple she’s never met before. They’d introduced themselves as distant cousins. The only family she had left, they’d insisted, and immediately dismissed Rey as if she were entirely unimportant.

“Yes, we are,” the woman who claims to be Maz’s relative says. 

“Yes,” Rey echoes.

“Good, good. As you know, we’re all here for the reading of Maz Kanata’s will. She had…uh…some assets that she has divided up.” He shuffles through the papers and nods as he finds the one he’s looking for. “This house, the pub in Takodana. She has some stocks and bonds. And about $100,000 in monetary assets.”

Rey lets out a little gasp. She knew a little of this. Maz had always been comfortable and the pub she ran until the last few months of her life had always done well. But Rey had never asked about her finances. Maz had just always been there ever since she took Rey in at the age of eleven. 

The lawyer starts to go over Maz’s assets. There’s a trust fund put aside for the distant cousin’s children, to be used for their schooling and nothing else. The couple seems a little put out by that but shrugs it off.

The pub goes to Rey and she’s left reeling over that. She helps out around the place when she’s not at school, and she certainly enjoys it. She knows it’s practically self-sustaining and with the right management, she wouldn’t have to be very involved. It’s…lucrative. She’s seen the books.

Most of the stocks and bonds go to her relatives. They’re at least satisfied by that.

“And the house?” the man says.

“Of course,” the lawyer responds, rifling through the paperwork. “The house and all things found within go to Rey.” He nods at her.

“This should be ours!” the woman shouts as she steps toward the lawyer. Her husband puts his hand on her arm and she returns to her seat. She looks a little bit like she wants to cry, but Rey can’t feel bad for her. They’ve only crawled out of the woodwork in the hopes of gaining a piece of Maz’s fortune. She’s never even met them before.

They didn’t even know Maz had adopted her when she was fourteen. They never showed up when Maz was in hospice care. No one came to say their final goodbyes. It was just Rey, sitting quietly at her bedside, holding her hand. Maz hadn’t been herself for the last few weeks, becoming weak, tired, confused. The confusion was the worst. Maz had always been sharp as a tack. It was a blessing and a curse to lose her, all at the same time.

“So that’s it?” the husband asks.

“Yes,” the lawyer starts to say, but then – “Wait. There’s one more provision.”

The couple lean forward, hungry looks on their faces. 

“This is interesting,” the lawyer says.

“Yes?” the wife asks, waving one perfectly manicured hand in the air. “Go on with it.”

The lawyer shakes his head. “It’s a letter.” He turns to look at Rey. “For Rey.” The words fall heavily into the room. No one moves for a moment, and then the woman tries to grab at it. The lawyer pulls it back and the woman is left flailing before leaning back with a scowl. “ _ Only _ for Rey.”

“I…uh…thanks?” Rey says as he hands her the letter. He wraps up then, handing his business card to Rey and the couple before escorting them out of Maz’s – no –  _ Rey’s _ house.

This is her house.

Her home.

_ Hers _ .

She sits down in the chair and shakes her head, opening the envelope carefully. A piece of paper falls out and she grabs for it. A money order, she realizes. A bloody money order for nearly ten grand. She lets out a low whistle as she reads the accompanying letter, written in Maz’s perfect writing.

_ My dearest Rey, _

_ If you’re reading this…well…that’s a stupid cliché isn’t it? I’ve bitten it, bought the farm, kicked the bucket. Probably the latter. I never could quite see worth a damn and I’m pretty sure I have no interest in farm work. _

_ This is for you. Yes, it’s ten bloody grand. No, you can’t just stick this damned thing in the bank or pay off bills or any of the numerous practical things I know you’re thinking of. This is for your bucket list vacation. Oh, you don’t think I know about your tornado chasing dreams? Yes, I know all about that bit of craziness. You wouldn’t be my girl without a little bit of zany inside you. It’s why I agreed to foster you all those years ago. I saw something of me in you. And it’s why I adopted you, gave you my name. A little bit of me will live on in you. _

_ Go take your dream vacation. Do it now. That’s what this money is for. The  _ only _ thing this money can be used for.  _

_ Follow your dreams, child. You never know where they’ll lead you. _

_ Love you more than words can say, _ _   
_ _ Maz _

She feels the tears finally fall as she holds the letter tightly in her hand. Leave it to Maz to give her this one final gift. She’d never told her in so many words that she dreamed of seeing a tornado. But of course Maz knew. Rey doesn’t know why she would have expected any different of her.


	2. Day 1: The Arrival

Rey checks her itinerary.

Then checks it again.

The flight to Oklahoma City had been an easy one. She’s thankful for that much at least. Flying is definitely _not_ her favorite thing to do. From the way the security staff watch everyone like they might be criminals, to the way they carefully peruse her boarding pass after hearing her accent, as if they think she doesn’t really belong there, she just feels uneasy about it.

But it’s worth it, she keeps telling herself. It has to be.

They land a few minutes late and it takes her far too long to find her duffle bag at the baggage claim. There are so many people, all crowded around, trying to grab for their nearly identical suitcases. She watches them as they go around and around. Black, grey, the occasional red one. She sees other people snag one, read the tag, and then toss it back on with an angry sigh.

Hers though? Hers is easy to spot and she slips between a couple of large men to pull the brightly colored duffle bag off the carousel. _Pack light_ , the information pack she’d received said. There’s only room for one small bag per person, plus whatever each person brought as a carryon. _There will be down time and we choose hotels with laundry rooms or services_. So she’s packed enough for a handful of days. It should be good enough.

She checks the itinerary again. There’s a shuttle bus waiting to take her to the hotel that was booked for that night. The tour she’s booked, through Millennium Falcon Storm Chasing Tours, has thought of _everything_ . Hotels, flights, shuttles, anything that might be needed was taken care of by the owner and his team. He’d sounded like a kindly older gentleman when she’d spoken to him on the phone. _Personal touch_ , he’d admitted with an almost wry sound to his voice when she asked about the phone call. Since she was traveling alone, he wanted to make sure she was comfortable and offer her a roommate if one was available. _Call me Han,_ he’d said when she insisted on calling him _Mr. Solo,_ and there was a small part of her that felt an instant connection to the kind man. 

He runs the tours himself with his driver, a man she’s told to call _Chewie_ . It’s a well-oiled machine, something they’ve been doing for nearly thirty years now. _And we haven’t lost anyone_ , he tells her with a bit of pride in his voice. _You’re in good hands_.

Not like she has anyone at home to reassure that she’ll be safe. She’s not sure anyone outside of Maz ever really cared that much about her.

She’s off the shuttle and into the hotel as quickly as she can be. This is the start of it all. The first night is mostly relaxation. There’s a meeting that night, intended to introduce everyone, go over the rules and regulations and all that stuff. She only knows two major things at the moment: _Pack light_ . That was easy. The other one might be a bit more difficult. _Be on time_ . Rey is not exactly known for her punctuality, but she’s doing her best. The plane was late after all, not _her_.

But she’ll be on time to the meeting come hell or high water.

* * *

Ok, so she’s late. Not _that_ late. It’s currently one minute after the hour and she’s racing down the stairs because the elevator is taking too bloody long. She didn’t mean to fall asleep. It’s just that the bed was so comfortable and the flight, though a fairly easy one, had been exhausting.

And then she got lost.

She had to stop down at the desk to find out where the room was and so when she opened the door, all eyes turned to her.

“Sorry,” she mutters as she steps into the room, shutting the door behind her. 

“So glad you could join us,” comes a droll voice from the front of the room. Rey’s head shoots up as she stops just inside the door. There’s a man standing there. A veritable _tree_. He has to be at least six foot two, midnight dark hair, pale skin. His lips are pressed together and his arms are folded over his wide chest.

She has no idea who he could be.

He can’t be Han Solo. He’d talked of running the company for something like thirty years. This guy can’t be too much older than thirty. _Definitely_ not Han. She glances around the room, trying to find the older gentleman she talked to on the phone, but there’s no one who could be him. An Asian woman who looks to be about Rey’s age who's practically vibrating in her seat, and another woman who sits next to her, watching her with somewhat cool disdain. A bored looking black woman sitting off in one corner, feet up on the chair next to her. She heaves a sigh when Rey’s eyes fall on her. A black guy who looks somewhat familiar.

He waves at her.

“You were on the same flight I was!” he says, his voice a little overly forceful in the room.

“Right, yes,” Rey says, shaking her head. She’d seen him at the luggage carousel and then on the shuttle. 

“Come sit over here,” says the remaining guy. Handsome, she thinks. Thick wavy hair, tan skin. He smiles at her and winks, waving his hand toward one of the unoccupied chairs. “Poe Dameron,” he says.

Rey offers a small wave.

The tree of a man at the front of the room uncrosses his arms and pushes off the desk he’s leaning against. “Well, now that we’re done with introductions, could you _please_ take a seat, Miss…?”

“Kanata,” she says automatically. “Rey Kanata. Where’s Han Solo?”

“Oh dear God,” she hears Poe mutter. “Just come sit down, Rey. Please.” She looks from Poe to the other man and finally just takes the seat. Poe leans toward her. “Seriously,” he whispers. “Don’t ask him. We’ll get a…”

“Is there a problem, Mr. Dameron?” 

Rey looks up to see the man clearly in charge of the meeting standing over their chairs. He looks even bigger from this close up. Bigger and broader and _God, that hair_ …She squirms a little in her chair. 

“None whatsoever, Mr. _Solo_.” Rey glances over at Poe and sees him smirking.

“Don’t call me that,” the man in question grinds out. 

“See,” Poe says. “A tirade. If you keep poking at him, he’ll attack. Like a _bear_.”

The man growls and stalks back to the front of the room. “As I was saying before Miss Kanata wandered in late, my father has taken ill and while some of you,” he says with a nod toward Poe, “might have been hoping to hang around the old bastard, you’re stuck with me for the duration of this trip.”

Rey isn’t sure if she’s disappointed or thrilled. He’s grumpy, but _God_ is he beautiful to look at. She thinks of the kindly older man who she spoke to on the phone and hopes he’ll be okay. 

“I’m Ben Solo, Han’s son. And for the love of all that’s holy, stop calling me Mr. Solo.”

Rey glances over at Poe. “Boy, he does _not_ like you.”

Poe shrugs. “We grew up together,” he says with a smirk. He leans closer to her, a little too close really, and winks again. She’s not sure how to respond to that, so pulls away and turns back to watch Ben’s presentation.

“I’ve been chasing storms since I was probably five years old. Dear old Dad thought it would be fun to drag his son along on one of his chases. We saw a tornado that day, and I was hooked. I’ve been along on a number of these chases with my father. And for a time I was chasing with…” He hesitates there, frown lines forming around his mouth. There’s bitterness there, Rey thinks. “…another group,” he finishes quietly.

He doesn’t want to be here, Rey realizes. He loves the thrill of the chase. That much is obvious from the way he speaks of the storms and the things they might see. But he doesn’t want to be _here_ , running this chase, stepping in for his ill father. She wonders if he’s worried about him at all, but given the way he refers to him, tinged with a bit of anger and bitterness, she thinks perhaps not. It’s sad, really. Rey has only ever had Maz. If she had grown up with a mother, a father? She couldn’t imagine being this bitter about them. She’d like to imagine she would have forever been grateful for their presence in her life. She feels that way about Maz, after all, and has to brush a tear away from her eye.

Ben goes into his own history with storms, his degrees in meteorology and atmospheric science. There’s passion behind the deep voice and for a moment he comes alive. His eyes, warm and brown, his hands becoming a bit more animated. He doesn’t talk about himself personally, doesn’t talk about his history with his father outside of saying he had been asked to return to help out while Han recuperates.

His father started the touring company some thirty years ago, almost on a whim apparently. He loved the thrill of the chase and thought there might be others who would as well. There’s a small note of pride behind Ben’s voice as he talks of this, mentions that his father had the first such company in the United States. It’s fascinating, really, hearing about the history. 

Rey remembers looking up tours for the first time a few years ago. She hadn’t thought, of what it must have been like to offer the first vacations in the world that took people on such a wild ride.

"Now that you know a bit about me and this tour, I want to brief you on what is _the_ most important thing on this entire trip. Safety." _Safety first_. It was what the website said and he reiterates it now, stressing that at all times they are to listen to him, that if he says to get back in the van, they are to do it immediately. He will keep the group safe but only if they all follow his instructions to the exact letter.

“That includes, of course, being _on time_ .” And now those eyes, dark and intense, are watching _Rey_. She swallows hard. “If you’re not there when the van leaves, you’re left behind. You’ll have to find some way to catch up with the tour or find your own way back to Oklahoma City to go home.”

 _Be on time, be on time, be on time_ . She repeats the words inside her head. This is _important_ . She can’t be late, can’t be left behind. She’s always been left behind. _Not this time_.

“Any questions?” Ben asks, folding his arms over his chest again. He’s walled himself off from them, she thinks. He’s their leader in this but he is _not_ one of them, and he couldn’t possibly make that clearer.

There are questions, of course.

"How close are we going to get to the storms?” This is from the young Asian woman who’s been sitting on the edge of her seat the entire time, practically bouncing in place.

Ben flips through his book. “You are?”

“Rose, sir.”

He offers a little huff. “Miss Tico, of course. As close as is safe.”

“How…”

“It depends,” he says. “I will keep you safe. You’ll have to trust me.”

Rose looks like she’s about to ask another question but the woman next to her puts a hand on her arm. “Sis, stop.”

“ _Paige_ ,” Rose says, a little whine to her voice.

“Rosey, you’ll get to see something, okay? Just…let him continue.”

"Can you get pictures of me in front of one of those things?" Poe shouts, and she can tell from the way he’s slouched in his chair, the smirk on his handsome features, that he’s just trying to get a rise out of Ben.

"Tornadoes, you mean Mr. Dameron?" Ben doesn’t even try to hide his annoyance as he speaks. “You _do_ know what it is you’re here for, right? Big twisty things, kind of scary, once sucked up an entire house and dropped it in Oz?” 

Rey can’t help but giggle a little at that.

“You wound me,” Poe mutters.

“It won’t be the last time, I’m sure,” Ben says and she finds she likes the acerbic tone to his voice. "I'm sure someone will manage to get pictures of your dashing self in front of one of _those things_ . Any _real_ questions about safety protocol?"

The group remains silent.

Rey has to bite back another giggle. She _really_ doesn’t want to bring any attention to herself.

"Alright, so let me tell you how each day is going to go," Ben continues. They'll start in the morning, 8:00am sharp unless they're told otherwise. By that time he’ll have gone over all the data showing weather patterns and where storms are likely to crop up that day. There will be a brief meeting to go over the day’s agenda, and then they’ll be loading up the van and on their way no later than 9:00am.

Travel’s long on these trips and there isn’t often much in the way of scenery. So the group needs to be prepared to find a way to pass the time. Ben points out that the vans are equipped with power and Wi-Fi, so they’ll be able to keep computers and camera batteries charged and check things on the internet. There's a link, he points out, where they can see the same radar and data he’ll be looking at as he tweaks the direction they're traveling in.

There will be the occasional stop for bathroom breaks and snacks. Snacks, Rey thinks, are the truly important part of the trip. She’s come prepared. Of course she has, but she’s looking forward to stopping for random Midwestern snacks in towns she’s never heard of. Sometimes snacks are all they’ll get until they eat late at night, so Ben points out that if anyone is a picky eater in the group or refuses to drink gas station coffee, they’re in for a bit of a shocker. 

“Think of every day on this trip as an adventure. We don’t know where we’re going or what we’ll be seeing. But all we _do_ know is we’re up for one hell of a ride.” With that, he introduces them to their driver. Ben will be busy keeping a close eye on the radar for storms. He doesn’t have time to drive, so the tour has a driver, a giant of a man with long bushy hair and a face covered in a massive beard the guys from ZZ Top would be jealous of. He dwarfs even Ben.

“This is Uncle Chewie,” Ben says with a wave of his hand. “You can all call him that.”

The man in question grunts, but his face splits in a big grin. He’s been driving for the tour for as long as Ben has been alive, apparently. His father met him at a bar early on. There’d been a bit of trouble, and one thing led to another and somehow, some way, he’d ended up as the tour driver. He’d been with Han ever since. Even now, when he reaches out to ruffle Ben’s hair, she can see the affection the man has for the Solo family.

Ben looks annoyed.

For some reason, that makes Rey smile. She suspects he’s annoyed a _lot_. There’s a small part of her that wants to poke at him, see how he reacts. She has to push that one down. It’s not like she’s normally like that. Well, she supposes that's not entirely true. She hates confrontation, but she’s not the type of person to back down, and so she finds herself fighting the good fight over and over again.

“Respect him at all times,” Ben says. “If he tells you to get going, listen to him like you would me.” He gives a quick look around the room, his eyes falling on Poe and then on Rey. There’s a furrow between his brows for just a moment, and then it clears. “If there are no questions, this meeting is over. There’s a restaurant in this hotel that I hear is pretty decent. You may want to get to know your fellow travelers.”

He nods at them all, turns on his heel, and disappears out the door.

The room seems larger without him in it. And it seems even larger when Uncle Chewie follows him, the door closing behind them both.

No one says anything for a moment, and then Poe breaks the silence. “Well, I for one am starving.” Rey doesn’t see him lean over toward her until his face is practically right in front of her. She lets out a little squeak and backs up. Poe laughs. “Want to go hit the restaurant with me?” 

And he winks.

Again.

“Um…”

“Oh come on,” he says with a pout.

“I think…um…I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll just order in and hit the sack. Big day tomorrow.” She grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder, heading out of the room.

Poe is right behind her.

“Are you sure? I mean, we all have to eat, right?”

Rey glances over at him as she approaches the elevator. “Yeah, sorry. I’m pretty sure. But I bet some of the others will want to go.”

He leans over, puts a hand on the wall near the elevator. “But I wanted to go with _you_ ,” he says with a pout.

Rey’s really not sure what to think of this. Is he _hitting_ on her? There’s something both flirtatious and insincere about it, as if he expects her to simply fall in line.

“Sorry,” she says again, and he sighs. Because of course he does.

“Rey…” he starts to say, reaching out to touch her arm as the elevator doors slide open. Rey flinches back. She can’t help it. It’s not like he’s not a perfectly handsome guy. And he’s probably charming to someone who isn’t _her_ , but there’s something just so off-putting about it all. She’s not used to having to turn guys down, because they don’t tend to be interested in quiet, boyish Rey. And she’s not sure she’s doing this right, really.

“Really, Poe, I’ll be…”

“Is there a problem here?” comes another voice and Rey looks up to find Ben standing just past Poe. One of his dark eyebrows is arched, arms crossed over his chest. Chewie is standing next to him and the older man lets out a little grunt of what she can only describe as disapproval.

“No problem,” Poe says. He doesn’t move until Ben takes a step toward him. There’s a stiffness to Ben's body, a cord in his neck that stands out, and she sees a muscle twitch in his jaw.

“No? Because it looked like a problem to me.”

“It…”

“I won’t have you harassing anyone on my watch.” There’s a low threat to the words and Poe finally backs up a bit, his face paler than it was a moment before.

“Right...” he starts to say.

“Thanks for the invite!” Rey says, the words almost obnoxiously bright. Everyone turns to look at her and she shrugs, stepping into the elevator.

Poe makes like he’s going to follow her, but Ben's body blocks him in an almost covert maneuver that Rey is pretty impressed with. He just slides in front of him and twists his body. Poe has to draw up short or collide with him. And then Ben is in the elevator with her. Chewie follows them in, standing on her other side.

Poe is left standing outside staring at them. 

“No room,” Ben says, and hits the button.

The elevator door slides closed, and she has only a short glimpse of Poe’s dropped jaw before she can’t see him anymore.

There’s silence as soon as the doors close. She feels tiny there standing between Ben and Chewie. And she’s not a small woman. Maz used to tease her for height all the time. She’d towered over her tiny adoptive mother. But even at her taller-than-average height, she’s dwarfed by the men flanking her on either side.

She lets out a small giggle.

Ben turns to look at her. “Are you okay?” There’s a furrow between his brows and his arms fall to his side, posture more open than it had been with Poe.

“Did you see the look on his face?”

“Funny,” Chewie says and she looks up at him.

“You should feel honored,” Ben says. “He hardly ever talks.”

Chewie shrugs.

“But seriously… _are_ you?” Ben asks.

“I can handle myself.”

Ben snorts. “I’m sure you can. But that wasn’t the question.”

She shrugs. “He’s just one of _those_ guys. They’re a dime a dozen.”

“I’m sure they are,” Ben mutters.

Rey smirks up at him. “You’re not.”

“Not?”

“A dime a dozen. In fact, I’d guess you’re not quite like anyone else.”

Ben stares at her, eyes a little wide, and when he runs his hand through all that thick gorgeous hair of his, she’s surprised to see the tips of his overly large ears a little red. “Yes, well…”

The elevator dings and she watches as he lets out a little sigh.

“This is my floor!” Rey says as the door starts to open.

She’s halfway out the door when Ben’s hand comes up and stops it from closing again. “I’m serious Rey. No one gets harassed on my watch. I’ll make sure he stays in his lane and leaves you alone if you want.”

She turns back toward him. “That’s…strangely sweet.”

“I mean it. You’re safe on this trip.” 

A little shiver goes up her spine as he says that, and she thinks, for just a moment, that she would very much like to _not_ be safe from him. She can feel her cheeks heat a bit and so she steps back and away from the elevator.

Ben stares at her.

She stares back.

And then he blinks and seems to come back to himself. His hand releases the elevator and he steps away so fast it’s like it was burning him.

“I…right…thanks,” Rey manages to get out.

The door closes between them, and she takes in a shaky breath. She has no idea what just happened but it felt _important_ somehow. She can’t imagine why, but there was a world of emotional weight in that look he gave her as the door shut.

* * *

“Interesting,” Chewie says almost as soon as the door shuts.

Ben cringes. “Go ahead. You’re going to say it anyway.” 

“You’re awfully protective of her.”

Ben grunts. “Did you _see_ him?”

“I did.”

“And her?” He runs his hands through his hair. Anyone with eyes could see that Poe’s attention was unwanted. He’s known Poe a long time, since they were kids in elementary school. He’s watched him go from school recess bully to the hero of the boys’ varsity soccer team. And he always, _always_ had someone with him. Ben’s pretty sure that through high school, Poe dated several girls, often sometimes two at the same time, and Ben had caught him once with a boy under the bleachers as well. Poe was _never_ alone.

Not Ben, of course. Ben was too tall, too awkward and skinny, with a horrible bowl cut and ears that stuck out awkwardly from his narrow face. He’s changed his looks now. Worked out until his body was no longer so gangly, grew his hair longer. But he’s still just that gawky kid inside.

Chewie grunts. “Yup.”

“He was…”

“Hitting on her?” Chewie interrupts with. Good old Uncle Chewie. He always does get right to the point.

“Yeah. She didn’t like it.”

“Nope.” When he looks over at Chewie, he’s watching him with a curious look.

“What am I going to do about it? Yeah, I know that’s what you’re thinking.” Ben runs a hand through his hair. “I said I’d keep her safe.” And he means it. He’d protect anyone on his tour, make sure they all felt safe and that no one was being harassed or intimidated or treated poorly because of their gender or race or sexual orientation.

But still, this is _more_ than that. And frankly, that scares the living daylights out of him.


	3. Day 2: Ransom, KS and Lexington, NE

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50358918463/in/dateposted-public/)

Rey wishes she could say she woke up the next day refreshed and ready to kick ass and take names. But the truth is, she hardly slept at all that night, tossing and turning, her mind filled with the grand adventures she’s about to have.

And if she’s really going to be completely honest with herself, which she prefers _not_ to do, thank you very much, some of her dreams, and daydreams even, center around the head of their little tour. It’s not even just that he’s handsome, which he is, in a way that makes her insides flutter a little and makes her think of doing naughty things in the back of the tour van. It’s definitely more than that. It's how he made sure she was okay after Poe had gotten a little overly friendly with her and that somewhat dark and yet resolute look in his eyes in the elevator.

There’s something there, lurking beneath the surface, that she finds herself drawn to. In some ways it’s unsettling, the way he seems to so fiercely want to protect her.

But then she thinks of Maz. Dear, sweet Maz. The woman was known for her libido. She may have been ancient, her age unknown even to Rey. But oh _boy_ did she have her raunchy moments. The time Rey caught her watching porn late at night is still one of those defining moments in Rey’s life. It’s not that she didn’t know what sex was by then. She had the internet after all, and she had friends, some quite a bit older than her who were all too happy to share their old Harlequin novels. She just had never seen it quite like _that_.

Maz’s cackle had haunted her nightmares for a week.

Maz would tell her to go get him, enjoy her vacation to its fullest. Even if that meant having some sort of torrid love affair with the owner, or at least the son of the owner, of the company.

She packs quickly that morning, getting dressed and gathering toiletries with an efficiency even she’s surprised at. She isn’t going to be late. She promised herself she wouldn’t be and at a few minutes before the allotted 8:00am hour, she’s walking into the meeting room, blueberry muffin half stuffed in her mouth and cup of coffee in hand.

Poe sees her immediately and makes a beeline for her. “Sleep well?”

She shrugs, points at her mouth, and chews slowly. The less she can say, the better, she fears.

“Yeah, me too,” he says with a laugh. 

She tries to smile around her muffin. She really shouldn’t be put off by him. He’s handsome, one of those guys most girls would dream of being with, all that dark wavy hair and that killer smile he keeps turning on her. 

“You should sit near me for the trip,” he suggests.

“Seats are assigned,” Ben says as he steps somewhat between them. When his dark eyes fall on her, he raises one eyebrow.

Rey swallows the bit of muffin still in her mouth and almost chokes. “Oh, too bad!” she says, the words just a little brighter than she’d intended.

Poe at least has the good graces to shrug, and she sees him wander off to talk to the guy who had been on the plane with her. Finn, she thinks his name is. She felt instantly at ease in his presence. He has this lightness about him, and his smile reaches his eyes. She likes that. Poe seems to as well, if his slinging his arm around the other man is any indication.

She rolls her eyes a bit and turns to find Ben still watching her. “Did you…” she starts to ask.

“You were on time,” he blurts out, and she’s surprised to see a little bit of pink on his cheekbones.

“Yes, well, _someone_ told me I’d be left behind if I wasn’t,” she says with a smirk.

“Right…” He blinks once. Twice. And then finally shakes his head before walking off. She has no idea what that’s about, about what _any_ of it is about. 

She puts it from her mind as Ben walks to the front of the room, pulls out his laptop, and sets it on the table. He fiddles with it for a moment, messes around with some cables, and then hits a button. A map appears on the blank wall behind him. “We have our destination, folks,” he says, stepping away from the wall and allowing them all to watch it for a moment.

“What are we looking at?” Paige asks, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. Her sister says something and Paige shakes her head at her, a small frown on her face.

“If you give me a moment, that’s exactly what I’m about to tell you. Sit back, folks, it’s time for you to get an education.” A couple people groan. Ben smirks. Rey finds herself sitting down and leaning forward. This was part of why she wanted to go after all. The thrill of seeing such severe weather up front is certainly the biggest draw. But learning more about something she's always loved? It’s certainly an appealing notion.

Made perhaps _more_ appealing by a pair of intelligent brown eyes and a voice so deep that it does things to her. _Stop it, Rey, he’s speaking_...

He’s pointing out areas of turbulence, where warm air meets cold, where there are winds going in different directions. “All of these point to favorable conditions for severe storms.” Rey is only half aware of what she’s looking at. But she can see where those air masses are converging, on some small town in Kansas.

That’s where they would be heading that day. The intention is to get to the location in plenty of time to watch the storm roll in. He prides himself, he tells them, on being in the right place at the right time and being _early_.

She’s pretty sure that’s directed at her.

With that information, Ben releases them to gather up their belongings and get to the van. Rey feels the breath escape her for a moment, holding her hand to her chest and blinking hard. It’s not that she’s overly emotional. It’s just, well…

“Are you quite alright, Miss Kanata?” The voice comes from far too close behind her and she feels herself startle a bit.

“Mr…Ben.” She wrinkles her nose slightly at the breathy sound to her voice. “I’m just…”

“Not nervous are you?” It’s said with a slight laugh, but she can almost feel a bit of concern behind the words. Like the night before, at the elevator. 

“Excited,” she finally answers with. “It’s all really going to happen.”

He gives a small shrug. “I can’t promise you tornadoes.”

“I know.” And she does. The website for the tour is very specific. Not every trip sees tornadoes. It just isn’t possible to predict weather that accurately, and while a good many do see them, an equal amount also never do. “I guess if I don’t, it just means I’ll have to come on a tour again.”

He stares at her for a moment before finally nodding. “Well, I hope you’ll consider us for your next tour.” The words are strangely stiff, a little formal, but there’s still pink on his cheeks.

She lets out a little laugh. “Well, that all depends on how well you treat me.” She gives him a small wink before she walks off to fetch her bag and get ready to settle in for the long trip to their first stop.

* * *

Rey spends the first part of the trip trying not to agonize over what she’d said. Was she _flirting_ with him? Rey Kanata does not flirt. It just isn’t part of her.

Of course, Rey Kanata also is not attracted to someone she’s just met. And Rey Kanata certainly does not have dreams of a sexual nature. And yet here she is, her mind in a strange turmoil about the enigmatic temporary head of the tour company. 

And just to make it worse on herself, Ben has assigned her the seat directly across from him, sitting at the front of the van. The van, she discovers, has been refitted to have only one seat on each side. They’re larger than a single seat, with seatbelts on the part nearest the window and some space to the side where you can store your carryon items. It’s handy, really. No low ceiling to duck under, no need to stand up to retrieve objects stored above their heads. Ben tells her that it’s a safety issue. Everything is tucked away and sealed up so if anything happens to the van, it won’t be flying around.

She tries not to think of that as they all strap themselves in and Chewie pulls out of the hotel parking lot.

The early part of the trip is mostly silence. Someone in the back is playing music loudly enough on headphones that she can hear it from up front. Rose and her sister, seated across from each other, are talking to Poe and Finn who are seated in front of them. Rey has pulled out her tablet to try to read for a bit, but she can’t seem to focus on it. Her eyes keep straying to Ben. He’s focused entirely on his laptop, alternately flipping between pages that look like maps with radar data overlaid and pages full of text she can’t read from where she sits.

She doesn’t even realize he’s noticed her staring until he speaks. “Something interesting?” She looks up to see him watching her with one eyebrow raised.

A shiver runs up her spine. _Yes, you_ , she wants to say and then shakes her head. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I was…” She pauses, clears her throat. “…just wondering what you were looking at.” It’s as good an excuse as any she supposes. It might even be true in some weird roundabout way.

“Ah,” he says and she’s sure the conversation is over. But then he turns the laptop toward her. “Weather spotters.” He points at the page of text. “Radar is good, of course. It points you in the general direction. But there are trained people all over Tornado Alley who report in what they see. If you hear of a tornado being spotted on the ground on an emergency weather report, that’s the weather spotters.”

“People really do that?” The whole idea sounds fascinating. Standing outside, watching as the weather churns around her, waiting to see if anything forms out of it.

He gives her a half smirk. “They do. And they love it. They’re as much thrill seekers as the people on this trip.”

“I suppose we are that, aren’t we?” She doesn’t really think of herself as a thrill seeker. She has no interest in jumping out of airplanes or bungee jumping. She’s never even skinny dipped. Her friends in college had tended to rib her, good naturedly most of the time, about how steady and calm and _good_ she was. She was the one in the library studying until midnight while everyone else partied. She learned long ago that if you stepped out of line too far, they’d send you to another foster home. Keep your head down, don’t do anything too crazy. 

And yet here she is.

He watches her for a moment, a furrow between his brows. “Why else would you be here?”

She shakes her head at that. Why else, indeed? “I don’t know,” she finally says. She wishes she could offer a better answer than that, but the words won’t come. _Because the one person on this planet who gave a damn about me is gone, and so here I am. Her final wish_. The words feel so empty, the reality of it all so much more than that, and so she turns back to stare out the window, watching the passing scenery

* * *

The rest of the trip out to the location passes in a blur. She tries to read, shares a few silly memes on Facebook. Ben says nothing more to her and she’s not quite sure how to start another conversation, or if she even should. She watches him occasionally, enjoying the sweep of his dark hair over his face, the intensity in his eyes as he watches the radar on his computer.

As they get closer to the destination and Rey can see just a little tinge of darkness on the horizon, she notices that Finn, who sits in the seat behind her, looks a little green around the gills. 

“My psychiatrist recommended it,” he mutters, eyes glued to the window.

“Ah,” Rey starts to say. “He wanted you to…”

“Well, I don’t know really. ‘Confront your fears, Mr. Trooper. You can’t let them rule your life.’” He pulls his eyes away from the window and meets Rey’s eyes for a moment.

“Ruling your life?” 

Finn gives her a long look and then sighs. “I lost my parents to one.”

“Oh.” Rey feels terrible for pressing him on such a thing now. She knows all too well what it’s like to grow up without parents. “You were an orphan.”

“Was, yeah. Three years old. Grew up in the foster system.” He brings his hand up to his chest. “I survived.” 

“Me too.”

Finn leans forward and for the moment, his fear seems forgotten. “You were a foster kid?”

She nods. “Dumped,” she admits. “Bounced around the system. Maz, my foster mother? She finally adopted me when I was a teen. Gave me the only home I knew.” She sits back. _Maz_. Sometimes the sadness is overwhelming, this deep scar that is still just barely scabbed over. She picks at it sometimes, thinking about her, about returning to the house without her. It’s all hers now, but there’s so much there that’s _Maz_ and she’s not sure she’s ready to tackle going through it all.

“Yeah?” he asks. “That’s…” He clears his throat, laughs a little, and Rey cocks her head to the side. “Sorry, I was going to say ‘that’s neat’ but that’s not really the right thing to say, is it?”

Rey leans a little toward him. “It’s fine by me,” she admits. She can’t say it’s _exciting_ to meet another foster kid. But at the same time it’s… something? A little heartwarming, a little less lonely, knowing she’s not the only one. She has friends, of course, but none of them get it _._

She glances back out the window, watching the gathering storm in the distance. It’s getting very dark off to the southwest. She can see the clouds gathering there, high above them, their motion fast and thick. Her eyes are glued to them and she actually feels herself breathe a sigh of relief. 

She isn’t terrified.

She isn’t even nervous.

She’s _excited_ , her breath coming a little heavier, her heart beating a little faster. She'd feared that when confronted with the real possibility of seeing such severe weather up close that she would fall apart, that her excitement would give way to terror. But it hasn’t. It _won’t._

Ben is leaning forward into his computer and watching Doppler radar and maps on either side of the screen. “Chewie!” he finally shouted. “Left coming up.”

Chewie takes the turn indicated and suddenly they’re heading almost straight toward the clouds that have been gathering strength off in the distance. It is, at that point, no more than some indistinct darkness rising higher and higher into the air. As they rumble along on the road, almost more of a dirt path than a real road, she can see lightning in the distance.

Ben shifts in his seat and turns toward the group. “You best be ready to move,” he says, eyes flitting around the group and finally settling back on the incoming storm. “We’ll be stopping soon.” With those words, he sets his laptop aside and watches out the window himself, occasionally checking their location and that of the storm on the screen beside him. 

His eyes are dark, brow lowered, as he watches the storm. A particularly deadly streak of lightning hits the ground somewhere and the accompanying deep rumble of thunder makes his lips part on a small gasp. Rey shivers where she sits, wanting to lean closer, wanting to…

She blinks hard. _Stop it, Rey. You didn’t come on this trip for that._ She blinks again and turns to gather up her camera, pulling the tripod free of the side of the bag. They’ll set up quickly. She’s sure of that much. Get out, set up, get ready to see whatever nature has in store. And be ready to run at a moment's notice. She can feel the exhilaration building inside her, that sort of giddy feeling she always gets at the top of a roller coaster, right before that first big push downward. 

Glancing behind her, she sees that Rose has that same look on her face. Even Paige looks a little more interested in what’s going around her than she has so far.

The other woman on the trip, who Rey hasn’t had a chance to talk to yet, is named Jannah. So far she’s just appeared strangely bored, but now she’s watching out the window with wide eyes and a half smile on her face. One of her hands is pressed to the window as she leans a little forward.

They’re going to see _something_. And Rey feels the excitement in the entire van wrapping around her as they drive closer to the impending storm.

* * *

When they pull off the road after a quick word from Ben, Rey feels her stomach immediately knot up. This is it, the moment. Ben is up on his feet before the van has even completely stopped, strangely graceful as the van bumps to its stop. 

Ben opens the door and Rey is up and following him as soon as he turns to the group and shouts “Let’s go!”

She’s right on his heels out the door, bouncing along behind him with camera slung over one shoulder and tripod in her other hand. They’d get out here and watch the storm from a safe distance. Even as she steps down from the van, she’s watching it. The clouds have gathered somewhere out to the southwest, a dark mass in the distance that grows ever closer, clouds roiling, occasional lightning highlighting the movement with its light.

It's beautiful.

She’s always thought so. And it’s a hard thing to explain to people, that she sees such beauty in something so deadly. She glances briefly at Finn and hopes he’s doing okay with this whole thing. She can’t imagine facing a fear in such a way. Terrified, facing memories that are a living nightmare. He’s braver than he realizes. 

“Mind if I set up here?” a voice says nearby.

Rey looks up to see Jannah standing a few feet away.

“I’m Jannah,” she says, holding out her hand.

“Rey.” She likes the grip of Jannah’s hand. Firm, but not overly so. Her hands are as calloused as Rey’s, and she wonders what she does for a living. 

“Is this it?” she hears Poe ask as he gets off the van, turning to look in the direction of the storm.

Jannah sighs next to her. “That Poe, eh?”

“He’s a piece of work,” Rey mutters.

“Hit on you too, did he?” Jannah asks. She doesn’t wait for Rey to confirm it, but instead smirks. “Not quite my type. Too…”

“Smarmy?” Rey asks.

Jannah offers a little laugh. “Well, I might have used a different term. But something like that.” She gets to setting up her own camera, but turns back to Rey for a moment as she does so. “How long have you been in the States?”

Rey startles a little at that. “How did you know?” 

Jannah laughs again and Rey finds she likes her easy laughter. “I’m a bloody Brit. You think I can’t hear that bit of England in your accent?” 

“A lot of Americans can’t,” Rey says with a shrug. “I was five. Parents flew all this way just to leave me behind.” She’s surprised that the words no longer sting. She doesn’t remember her parents, and she’s pretty sure she could walk by them on the street without so much as a bit of recognition. Maz was her family. 

Jannah gives her a long look at that. “Well, you’re better off without them.”

“Ah, yes,” Rey hears Ben say, stepping toward them. He has a video camera in hand and she seems to recall something about the entire experience being videotaped. They’ll all get an edited copy some weeks after the tour is over. She watches as Ben steps a little closer to Poe. “You’re welcome to walk that way if you wish to. We’ll be sure to pick up the pieces left of you after the fact.”

Rey bites back a giggle.

Poe smirks and turns back to watch the storm. 

But Ben isn’t done yet, of course. “If anyone would like to join him, you are most welcome.” He waves one hand toward the gathering storm. “I certainly won’t stop you.”

“I…um…thought you were all about safety?” Finn chimes in with. Jannah, still standing next to her, makes a little huff of laughter. Finn’s clinging a little too hard to the van while he addresses Ben, his eyes occasionally flitting to the storm before focusing back on Ben.

Ben lets out a snort. "I am. But sometimes even I have to make an exception."

"I see," Finn responds with, but Rey is fairly certain he doesn't . She’s pretty sure he’s just talking because he feels he has to. She watches Finn for a moment, and she feels a little worried for him. He’s only moved a foot away from the van and his eyes are trained on the storm in the distance. He flinches every time there’s a rumble of thunder. Maybe she should take him under her wing, try to share with him her love for severe weather. It’s a fleeting thought. 

With a sigh, she returns to setting up her tripod and camera, then watches the others fiddle with their equipment, cameras and recording equipment. Poe is standing with his back to the storm taking a selfie, cocky grin in place. She’s sure it will be posted on Twitter or Instagram as quickly as possible. The daring adventurer and the big bad storm. She can’t help but roll her eyes at his antics and she wonders if this is who he really is, or if it’s something he does just to annoy Ben.

As if a storm that’s likely still a hundred miles away is dangerous. It’s thrilling, seeing the way the clouds build and swirl as it moves across the plains, the lightning in the distance. From where they are, they can see the line of rain falling heavily as the storm sweeps ever closer to them.

She loves this, has _always_ loved this, ever since she'd seen her very first storm as a child. She remembers the foster father she’d been with at that time grabbing her, putting her up on his shoulders. She’d watched out the window with him as the rain lashed against it, as the thunder roared around them. There’s something about the intensity, almost magical, as if nature is somehow calling to her.

She leaves her camera, stepping away and moving closer. She can feel the pull, the call of nature at its most severe, its most raw. The hand on her arm startles her and she turns to give Ben a sheepish look.

"Stick with the group," he says softly and then steps back, turning away to watch the storm himself. 

* * *

She heeds his advice, of course. For the rest of the storm, she stays close behind her camera, watching, waiting, hoping to catch some of it. She’s no professional photographer, but she’s taken a few photography classes and does pretty well with a camera. Landscapes, waterfalls, the occasional lightning storm back home. But _this_.

This trip is what all of her study has been about.

She knows she’ll get the video from the company, but it’s not the same. Bringing home her _own_ memories is somehow more important, and when she views the photos on her camera’s LCD panel, she’s thrilled to see at least a photo or two with lightning in them. She has no idea if they’re a blurry mess and won’t until she can hook up her laptop at the hotel and really focus on them. But there’s the possibility, and that alone is exciting.

They leave Ransom, Kansas around four in the afternoon. The storm had rolled off, continuing its trek across the plains. There had been no tornado, though Ben had shouted about rotation, his voice harsh in the high winds. It was a glorious storm and Rey thinks that if it was the best of what she’ll see, the trip will still be worth it.

The trip to their hotel for the night is quiet. Finn falls asleep almost instantly, a sense of palpable relief hanging around him. Jannah is going through her own photos on her computer and lets out a little _yes_ every once in awhile. Rose is talking quietly with her sister. Poe is quiet for once. He’s watching out the window with a somewhat pensive look on his face. 

Rey’s eyes fall on Ben again, over and over. She’s drawn to him, wants to learn all about him and she doesn’t even know _why_ really. The wind had whipped his hair around his head as his eyes were glued to the storm. As if this was the first time he had stood outside in such a storm, the first time he felt the power, tasted it, felt it roar through every bone in his body.

And that intrigues her, that ability to be so in love with something that every single time it’s new and exciting. He seems so closed down in some ways, sarcasm always ready to deflect people. But in those moments when the storm was careening across the plains, when the lightning made the hair rise on her neck, he was unguarded and carefree.

* * *

It’s well past midnight when something wakes her up. Rey blinks once, twice, stares into the darkness of the strange hotel room. She’s never found it easy sleeping in new places. Too many memories, waking up in a new bed in a new home with new rules. She knows her life is her own now, but she still finds it disconcerting, even if it’s only for a moment.

There’s a flash of lightning, a low rumble of thunder, and she breathes a sigh of relief. That has to be her favorite sound in the world. Thunder in the distance, that tingling feeling that goes from her head right down to her toes, the thrill of anticipation. For a moment, she contemplates rolling over and allowing the storm to rage around her while she goes back to sleep. 

Instead, she finds herself sitting up in bed, reaching for her bathrobe and padding across the floor in her slippers. Covered balconies are a Godsend, she realizes, as she steps out onto it. There’s rain in the air. She can smell that faint mustiness of it hitting dry ground, can hear the first of the drops hitting the roof above her balcony. Here she’s entirely protected, comfortably wrapped up in her bathrobe and clinging to the railing as the sky is repeatedly lit up by lightning strikes.

“Couldn’t sleep either, eh?”

She lets out a small gasp as she turns to see the speaker. He’s half in shadow, but steps out as soon as her eyes find him. _Ben_. 

Despite the late hour, he’s still fully dressed: black shirt, black jeans, dark hair wild about his pale face. She pulls the bathrobe further around herself. She’s never been known for her practical nightwear and she feels exposed, standing out there on the balcony, his gaze dark and hooded as he watches her.

“I love storms.” She feels stupid making the statement but is relieved to see one corner of his generous mouth tilt up. 

He looks away from her then, watches the lightning for a moment. A rumble of thunder and then he turns back. “I suppose we all do. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”

She looks past him, empty balconies all the way down. “I’m not sure everyone on this trip loves them.” She thinks of Finn, who still looked a little green around the gills at dinner, of the sheen of sweat on his brow while they stood outside and watched the storm. She thinks of Paige, who is clearly there more to humor her sister than to see the weather. And Poe, who parades himself around like he’s the choice meat and they the diners ready to fight to get just one nibble.

“There are always glory seekers,” Ben says with a shrug. “They’re quickly disabused of the notion when they’re nearly killed.”

“But you said…”

He raises one finger. The smirk is back. “We’ve never lost anyone. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been close calls.” Another clap of thunder. “There are always Poes willing to take risks they barely understand.”

“You don’t like him.” It’s a statement. No need for a question. His ire is real, brimming just below the surface. She can see it in the tight corners of his mouth, the slightly narrowed eyes whenever Poe speaks.

“There are…” He pauses there, shakes his head. “Poe has always been like that. And there are many others like him in the world.” 

She waits for him to go on, wants to press for more. But it’s clear he has no more to say on the man. He turns slightly away from her, eyes focused on the storm in the distance. After a moment of studying his profile, she follows suit, quietly watching the lightning, listening to the thunder.

When she looks back for him as the storm drifts past, his balcony is empty. With a sigh, Rey gives one last glance at the rapidly diminishing storm and heads back inside.


	4. Day 3: Norfolk, NE and Emery, SD

The alarm goes off far too soon as far as Rey is concerned. Her middle of the night storm watching left her a little too wired to fall asleep quickly. She had lain in bed, listening to the thunder in the distance, watching the lightning cast strange shadows across her room, until the storm finally faded away.

And she spent far too much time thinking about Ben Solo. There’s something about him, and it’s not just the broad shoulders or that perfect dark hair or the plush lips, though her mind does wander to those far more often than she’d like to admit. No, there’s _more_ there. He’s a kindred spirit of sorts, prickly to be sure, but still… in the quiet moments between the flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, there had been something there. 

His eyes had been warm, and he had been, for a moment at least, open. She had felt a connection to him in that moment. Just two people, standing out on their balconies, storm raging in the distance, connected through their love of chasing their dreams.

They board the van early that morning, the sun just barely peeking above the horizon. Ben says little at the meeting, just waves them toward the van as he gets another cup of coffee. _His fourth_ , Chewie tells her with a roll of his eyes. Perhaps Ben didn’t sleep well either. There are dark circles under his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before.

The sky is ablaze in a glory of reds and yellows. That phrase…what is it again? _Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning_. Perhaps it bodes well. Maybe the day will bring her closer to her pursuit of the dangerous, the exhilaration, that heady feeling of Mother Nature’s fury.

When she steps onto the van, Ben is sitting in his customary spot, laptop already open, eyes intent on the screen. For a moment his concentration breaks and his eyes meet hers. She tries to draw in a breath but finds it choking in her throat. And then he nods, looks away, and her breath rushes out in one big whoosh.

She’s being ridiculous. She knows this. It was just a coincidence that they happen to have rooms next door to each other and be out on the balcony at the same time. Any of them might have been out to watch a midnight storm. They were there for them after all. But that doesn’t stop her from feeling a little heat on her cheeks as she nods back at him and sits down across from him. Rose and Jannah wave at her from the back. Poe seems to be studiously ignoring her and she wonders if anything else was said about her last night. She looks back to Ben, but he’s not watching them at all, and so she shakes her head, a little paranoid.

“You don’t look so bad this morning,” Rey whispers as she leans around her seat to see Finn sitting there, looking out the window.

He clears his throat. “It’s a beautiful day outside.” He gestures somewhat lamely at the window and Rey gives him a half-hearted smile. 

“It is indeed.” 

He’ll be green by noon, she suspects.

The van takes off with just a nod from Ben to Chewie. It’s clear that morning, no sign of the storm from the night before except a few puddles here and there. The sky is brilliantly blue, bright enough that Rey feels the need to pull out her sunglasses while staring out the window. She could read, of course. She often does. But her stomach feels a little twisted up and her mind keeps wandering to the other side of the van.

About an hour into the trip, when she sees that Ben isn’t watching his computer screen anymore but has turned to glance out the window too, she leans over toward him. “Quite the storm last night.” The words are soft but he jumps a little bit anyway and turns to look at her with wide brown eyes.

She bites her lip, can feel her cheeks redden just slightly. _He doesn’t want to talk to you Rey_ … But then his eyes soften just a bit. “How long did you stay watching?”

“Not long after you went to bed,” she admits. The storm had lost some of the draw once she’d lost her companion and while sleep eluded her, she had lost interest in watching as the storm made its march past them and disappeared over the horizon.

He nods, just once, and falls silent. Rey watches him for a moment longer, wondering if there’s some way to draw him out of his shell, get him talking. Instead, she settles for watching out the window, letting the vibration of the wheels on the pavement lull her into a nap.

* * *

“We’re stopping,” she hears someone say and jolts awake. Pulling out her cell phone she realizes it’s already almost lunch. 

“Where are we?” She yawns as she speaks and is rewarded with a small smile from Ben. She blinks a couple times, stretches. Perhaps staying up for so long the night before wasn’t in her best interests. But to be fair, she is here to see storms. And it was a lovely one, made all the more lovely by the shared company.

_You’re not here to flirt with the tour guide_ , her brain rather forcefully reminds herself and she offers Ben a sheepish grin.

“Norfolk, Nebraska,” he responds before standing up and turning to face the rest of the group. Lunch, it seems, would be at a restaurant called _Black Cow Fat Pig_. An odd name for a place, but Ben assures them all that he had been there numerous times over the years and had never had a bad meal. With that, he gives them a time frame for their stop and then is off the van, heading in.

On his own, she notes, and she follows slowly behind him. Jannah catches up to her, with Finn and Rose not far behind. “Sit with us?” Jannah offers, and Rey nods. Her eyes follow Ben’s broad back as he’s shown to a table of one. 

There’s a part of her, not even a small part, really, that wants to follow him to that table, sit with him. She wants to _know_ him, she realizes, wants to figure out what makes him tick. She has no idea why she’s so interested in him or why she watches him so much. There’s a draw there besides the obvious.

“Earth to Rey.” 

Rey blinks and looks up to meet Janna’s amused eyes. “Sorry…”

“What’s the fascination with Solo anyway?” Jannah asks and Rey can feel her cheeks heat a bit. “So you _were_ watching him then.” She sounds smug, arms crossed over her chest, lips turned up in a smirk.

“I…” _Is there any point in denying it?_ She shakes her head. “It’s sad, is all,” she finally manages to say. 

“That he’s eating alone?” Ben is currently sitting with his back to the booth they’ve been seated at, menu in front of him as he takes a sip of water. She likes the way his t-shirt moves as he picks up the water and sets it down. Black, she notes, his color of choice it seems, and not for the first time she wonders just what’s beneath that shirt. 

“Yeah…”

“I’m not surprised,” Jannah says. “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be here.” She leans in closer to Rey, and Finn, Rose, and Paige lean forward just a little bit. “The things his old man has hinted at about him. Well,” she says with a shrug. “I gather there’s some bad blood there.”

“His old man?” Finn asks.

Jannah makes a small huffing noise. “You think this is my first rodeo?” she asks. “This is the ninth tour I’ve been on, all with his father. Imagine my surprise when the clearly estranged son is back and running the show.”

“Nine?” Finn asked. “Have you ever seen a …”

“Tornado?” Jannah says with a laugh. “Yeah, plenty of times.”

“Wild,” Rose says, clearly in awe of the other woman. Her eyes are wide as she stares at Jannah, who waves her off with one hand.

Rey turns away from them to look back at Ben. “He seems so lonely,” she murmurs. All these people on the trip and he chooses to remain apart from them all. She understands the need to grab alone time when you can. Rey has always been a little introverted. Years as a foster kid, too afraid to make friends for fear they’d be ripped away when she was sent on, she supposes. It makes one protect themselves, makes them learn how to not only be alone, but to be okay with it.

But there’s more there. He was trying to make some sort of connection with her the previous night. He didn’t have to make his presence known, could have easily gone back to bed or hidden in the shadows. But he didn’t. He stood with her in quiet camaraderie, and that had to count for something.

“Oh…” Jannah starts to say. “Oh no, don’t get any funny ideas, Rey.” She leans across the table toward her. “He likes it that way. And there are reasons he’s estranged from his family.”

“You seem to know them well,” Rose points out.

Jannah shrugs. “You go on enough of these, you start to seem a bit like family. Han talks, especially when he’s had a few beers in the evening.” Rey has no idea what to say to that, but it doesn’t matter. Jannah puts her hand over hers, preventing her from leaving. “I’m serious, Rey. You seem like a really nice person. Don’t try to fix him. He is what he is. You’ll only get hurt.”

It doesn’t stop Rey from wondering, from _thinking_. She wants to get to know him, to peel back the layers of the mystery that is Ben Solo. And she’s not sure if the thought excites her...or terrifies her.

* * *

The rest of their lunch turns to topics that are far more fun: why they were there, what they hoped to see, preparations they’d made. Rey finds out that Rose is an engineer whose hobby is severe weather. She had a minor in meteorology and this is her big treat after getting her first real job. Jannah’s ex-military. _Lieutenant in the Navy, medical discharge_. Rey can see the look in her eyes when she mutters it and she knows not to press her. She’ll talk if she wants to, but that’s all they’re getting out of her about her old life. She says nothing of what she does now, and the set to her jaw says _don’t ask me_. Finn’s an artist and she’s not surprised, really. He seems to have a sensitive soul, and she knows that art, music, books… they’re all ways to keep yourself going when you’re in a new town, a new school. When you have no friends, sometimes those artistic endeavors are all you have to comfort you.

Poe does come to join them, one more crowding the table, and she’s thankful he’s sandwiched between Rose and Jannah. 

As they head back to the van, she can’t quite get Jannah’s words out of her mind. _Don’t try to fix him_. Is that what she wants to do?

“I don’t think you should do it,” Rose says as she comes up alongside Rey, leaning over to whisper the words in her ear.

“Do what?”

“Oh come on, Rey. I don’t know you very well, but you have to be the most open book I’ve _ever_ seen in my life.” The words are kind but there’s a bit of bite behind them.

“I’m not planning on anything.”

“No? Not planning on saving Solo from himself?” One of her eyebrows rises with the words.

Rey offers up a sigh at those words. “He just…”

“Seems lonely, I know. But I think Jannah’s probably right. There’s no saving some people.”

“I know.” And she understands. Really she does. She understands being introverted (she is too), she understands wanting to be left alone (she often does), but she also knows what it’s like to be lonely, to crave companionship and never quite know how to _ask_ for it. Rey had been a quiet, lonely child. Always the new kid, the tomboy who wore her hair in silly buns that she’d fight anyone over if they so much as mentioned the way she did her hair. She’d worn ragged hand-me-down clothes, whatever her latest foster home could offer her. Her coat had patches, her boots sometimes had duct tape on them to keep them together. She was poor and dirty and always so alone.

It wasn’t until she was older, when she was the star of the track team and one of the fiercest players on the girls’ lacrosse team, that anyone seemed to notice her. And even then it was with no more than a passing glance.

She _was_ that loner. Still often is, disappearing into the crowd. _I’m fine_ … and she is. But it doesn’t mean she’s not lonely.

“I won’t do anything stupid,” she finally says and Rose gives her a small _hmph_ before boarding the van. 

Paige stops to look at her and reaches out one hand, touching her lightly on the arm. “Don’t listen to them, Rey. You go get your guy. Life’s too short for what ifs.”

“He’s not my…”

“Especially on this God forsaken trip,” Paige finishes with, cutting off Rey with a bit of a grumble beneath her voice. 

Rey follows her onto the van. _Her guy_. She’s not quite sure why she likes that thought so much. She knows almost nothing about Ben, but last night she had seen _something._ Seen that spark, seen the way his eyes lit up at just the mere presence of a storm, felt that sort of electricity fanning out around them. 

_He could understand you_ …

_My guy…_

And she knows she’ll do exactly what Jannah and Rose advised her not to do.

* * *

She can’t sleep. 

Again.

Frankly, it’s getting ridiculous.

They’d ended up in Emory, South Dakota just in time to set up for an amazing storm. She almost thought there was going to be a tornado. There’d been a supercell, hail, even rotation. They’d found an overhang and managed to huddle under it as the edge of the storm caught up to them.

Ben assured them that the danger zone was far off in the distance. They were just going to get hit with the tail end of it. It was still intense and Rey was relieved when Rose and Poe, of all people, turned to comforting Finn. She could see him trembling a little, his eyes wide and she was pretty sure he’d bitten his lip so hard he’d drawn blood. But there they were, each with an arm over him as they watched.

It had been a lovely moment. One that she noticed Ben paid no mind. She’d watched him give them a look, roll his eyes, and then step a little closer to the edge of the overhang, close enough that some of the hail hit him, and his hair was wet with rain. 

And then she’d watched _him_ , because she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The way his shirt, now wet in the front, clung to the muscles of his chest, the way he closed his eyes and lifted his face into the rain. The bridge of his long nose, the sharp line of his jaw. 

Now, lying in bed, she can’t manage to sleep, tossing and turning as she tries to get comfortable on the unfamiliar bed, tries to chase thoughts of Ben away. It would be easier to forget him, as Jannah and Rose suggested. Forget the thoughts of him that float around her mind.

She tosses the sheets aside. _Well, fuck it_. There’s a bar in the hotel, open until at least three in the morning. Maybe if she goes down and has a drink, she’ll feel relaxed enough to sleep. She dresses quickly, throwing her hair back into her trusty old buns and actually remembering to grab her room key before heading down to the bar.

It’s quiet there. A few guys off in a corner play a game of darts. Poorly, she notes, and thinks about asking to join them and show them how it’s done. There’s a small group of women at one of the tables, one of whom is listing a little to the side and wearing a sash that says “BRIDE” on it. She smirks at that.

“Welcome,” says the older woman behind the bar. She has a gravelly voice and the sort of leathery look that doesn’t give away her age. She could be fifty or eighty. “What can I get you?”

Rey hasn’t thought that far ahead, really. “Rum and Coke,” she says without thinking much of it. She wants a pleasant buzz that will help her sleep, not something to make her flat on her back drunk. The last thing she needs is a long ride in the van while nursing a hangover.

“I’ll have what she’s having.” 

Rey whips around on her stool to find Ben Solo standing there. “You don’t look like a rum and Coke guy,” she says.

He shrugs. “I’m full of surprises.”

She watches him as he takes the seat next to her. “So you are.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, just waits for the bartender to bring them their drinks. The woman eyes him up for a moment, then gives Rey a serious face, followed by a wink. Rey can feel her cheeks heat at that.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he finally asks.

She takes a sip of her drink, glances over at him. “No.”

“Any particular reason?”

She shrugs. “New place. Not my bed. Maybe a bit too much excitement.” She says the last with a soft smile. She supposes that can sum up the storm watching and thinking about him without being totally honest.

“I suppose it must be.” He takes a sip of his drink, turns it around a few times in hands she’s only just noticing are absolutely massive. 

“Yeah,” she murmurs. She’s not sure what else to say to him really. 

He’s quiet for a time and then clears his throat. “What…um…what brought you on this trip?”

She glances at him from the corner of her eye. “Really?”

“I’m bad at this,” he mutters.

“Bad at…”

“Small talk. I just… I want to get inside people’s heads and understand how they tick, you know?”

“I… Wow…”

“Sorry, I’m a bit much.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just…exactly the same.” She’s always been terrible at small talk, preferring to stay quiet rather than commenting on the weather. She hates it, the sheer inanity of it. There’s relief there as she discovers she’s not the only one. “Honestly, it always makes me feel so alone, even in a crowded room.”

“You’re not,” he says, the words coming quickly. “Alone that is. You’re not alone.”

“Neither are you,” she responds and watches as some of the tension drops out of his shoulders. “This was my dream,” she says after a moment.

“Sitting at a hotel bar in the middle of nowhere?”

She stares at him for a moment and then watches as his mouth quirks up at one side. “Oh my gosh, was that a joke?”

“I’ve been known to make them on occasion.”

“I see,” she says with a soft laugh. “But no, this whole thing. This was my bucket list vacation. I never had the money to do it. But Maz…” She can’t help the little bit of wateriness to her voice. “She was my adopted mom. She passed away and she insisted I do this, earmarked the money for it in her will and everything.”

“Shit, wow… That’s pretty powerful stuff. I hope we see a tornado for you.”

“And for Maz,” she murmurs. They clink their glasses together. “Dare I ask?” She lets her voice trail off.

“Ah yes, how did I end up running _this_ tour? My old man? He had a heart attack.” He holds up his hands. “He’s going to be okay, but he had a quadruple bypass and the doctors told him he needed to rest. I’m still amazed he listened.” He takes another drink. “Han Solo doesn’t listen to anyone.”

“But this time he did?”

He sighs. “I volunteered to run the thing. He’s been wanting me to come home for what feels like forever. He wasn’t about to refuse.”

“You’re a good son.”

He makes a huffing noise in the back of his throat. “Pretty sure my folks would say otherwise.” He downs the rest of his drink and signals for the bartender to come over. “Another?” he asks. “I’m going to need more if I’m going to talk about my parents at all.”

She laughs a little at that and then nods to the bartender. “Yes well, if I had parents to talk about maybe I’d feel the same way.”

“Maz though,” he says. “I mean… she was as much a parent as anyone else?”

“Maz was wonderful. The only person who cared in my entire life. But still…I never knew who my parents were. I don’t even know if they’re still out there somewhere, if they miss me or wonder about me at all. Or maybe they’re dead and buried in a pauper’s grave in some desert or something.” The bartender sets another drink down and Rey picks it up, taking a quick sip of it. “Shit, this is getting too maudlin.”

“Yeah,” he mutters.

“Tell me about _you_ ,” she says, her voice brighter.

“I’m not that interesting.”

“You chase tornadoes. That automatically makes you interesting,” Rey points out. 

He shrugs.

“Come on,” she says, moving her stool just a little closer to him. “Tell me about it. I mean, tell me some of your best stories. Your scariest moments, the coolest things you’ve seen.”

He hems and haws for a moment, takes another sip of his drink. “Well, I suppose I do have some interesting stories.”

* * *

She gets completely lost in the sound of his voice, deep, but the pitch goes up just a hair every time he gets to the dramatic moment in his story. There was the time he and his father got a little too close to one and had to abandon their vehicle to hide in a storm shelter at an abandoned farmstead. And the time a massive EF5 tornado took a sudden turn and they’d just barely managed to get away. His father lived on the edge of danger for most of his life, it seems.

Ben promises her, of course, that he doesn’t take those risks with the people on the tour. There are times during the season his father always takes some weeks to himself. That’s when he takes risks, gets closer, stays longer. Rey can’t help but admit to herself she wishes she could be along for those times. 

But she’ll take what she can get.

She’s surprised when the bartender lets them know they’re closing down in ten minutes and maybe they should finish their drinks and head on. It’s nearly two in the morning and just how did _that_ happen?

“I guess…” Rey takes the last sip of her drink, sets it on the bar and it’s quickly swooped up by the bartender. “I guess I should be heading back. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow.”

Ben sets his glass down and pushes it toward the bartender. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

She lets out a small huff of laughter. “Your room is two doors down from mine,” she points out. There are no balconies this time, but she still wishes his room was right next to hers. She has no idea why that brings so much comfort.

“Still, it’s the gallant thing to do, isn’t it?” 

“I suppose.” When she stands, she sways just a bit.

“Shit, are you alright?” Ben asks as he grabs onto her arm to keep her upright.

“I guess I had more than I thought I did.”

“Lightweight,” he murmurs.

“Well, I’m sure a tree like you wasn’t affected by a couple of mixed drinks,” she grumbles.

“Yeah, sorry. Not feeling a thing.” He keeps his hand on her arm as they navigate out the front of the restaurant into the lobby. He hits the button for the elevator and she sways a little closer to him. She’s not even sure if she’s really that dizzy or if she just _likes_ being close to him. She can smell a bit of his aftershave, some sort of spicy scent that she really likes, and the smell of the rum from his drink.

They’re quiet for the elevator ride. Rey leans close to him and is surprised when he wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Not going to have you fall over,” he mutters. There’s affection behind the words. She’s sure of it.

When it comes to a stop, he waves her ahead of him and she steps out. His hand drops from her arm as she does so and she finds herself strangely cold without the warmth of his hand on her. She turns toward him as they get closer to her room. God, has he always been so tall? So broad?

She slides her room card though the reader and hears the telltale click that the door is now open. She pushes it only a little bit before stopping. “This was…” She clears her throat. “This was fun.”

“Yeah,” he says. 

They’re staring at each other for a moment, and she’s not sure what makes her do it. Maybe it’s the dark look in his hooded eyes, maybe it’s the slight reddish tint to his cheeks or the way his eyes seem to be watching her lips. But she steps forward and wraps her arms around him in a fierce hug.

And when she looks up at him, with him looking down at her, their faces are so close that it only takes her rising up a little on her toes to reach his lips. He freezes for a moment and she feels her heart plummet.

_Fuck._

_This was the wrong thing._

_I read all the signals wrong._

_He isn’t…_

But then his arms wrap around her and he dips his head a little and _oh_ , there are those soft plush lips that she’s been thinking about for far too long.

The kiss is over far too soon, before either of them deepen it or make it more. She _wants_ to make it more. “Do you want to come in?” she asks, and her voice is just a little breathless.

He groans and leans forward, one arm still wrapped around her waist. His head rests on the doorframe, and she feels more than hears him sigh. “Rey,” he murmurs.

“It’s okay. If you don’t want to.” She pushes back from him. “Christ, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I…”

“Stop,” he says, holding up one hand. She’s surprised to see a bit of a half smirk there. “I really want to.” He reaches out a hand to brush a piece of her hair that had escaped her buns away from the side of her face. “I really fucking do. But it wouldn’t be right.”

“We’re both adults,” she points out. _Don’t beg, Rey. That’s not becoming of anyone._

“Technically you’re my employer,” he points out.

“I hired your dad.”

He shrugs. “Still, it’s my tour now and I’m here to keep you safe. Not to get you into bed.”

He’s right. She knows he is. And this is ridiculous. Rey has never been one to just jump into bed with someone. But there’s such a _pull_ to Ben that she can’t explain. There’s a brightness there, hidden beneath layers of indifference and snark. She saw some of that peeled away that night and she finds she wants to get to the deeper layers.

“I’m sorry,” she finally says. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“For keeping me company? For making sure I was safe?”

He steps back then, pushing away from the door. She stands alone in it looking up at him. 

“Sleep well,” he says.

“You too.” And then she shuts the door. As she leans back against the door, she hears the thud of something hitting the wall to the side of it.

She crawls into bed that night feeling as much frustration as that hit to the wall, and she can’t help it when her hand ends up between her legs, pressing into the slickness she finds there, and rubbing her clit until she comes with Ben’s name on her lips.


	5. Day 4: Haxtun, Colorado

By morning frustration has given way to embarrassment. She’s not hung over, had barely been tipsy. But _oh_ the way she threw herself at him the night before and his subsequent rejection burns. She can feel her face already on fire as she packs up her stuff to leave for the van.

She thinks about avoiding breakfast, but how would that look? She thinks about licking her wounds and pretending she overslept and just…finding her way back home.

But she can’t do either. So instead, she packs her stuff and slinks down to the continental breakfast to grab a muffin and some granola bars for the road.

“Rey!” Rose calls brightly and Rey winces. “Come join us!”

Us, thankfully, is just Rose and her sister. Jannah, Finn, and Poe are nowhere to be seen, and neither is Ben. Maybe he’s too embarrassed to face her. Maybe he doesn’t know how to tell her he wants her off this tour.

_Fuck fuck fuck_.

“Wow,” Rose says. “You don’t look so good.”

Rey gives her a wan smile. “I didn’t bother with makeup.”

Rose cocks her head to the side. “No. It’s more than that.” She leans a little closer. “You didn’t sleep again.”

Paige just leans back in her seat. “I don’t think Ben slept much either.” 

“Was he here already?” The words tumble out of Rey’s mouth before she intends them to. _Fuck_.

“Oh yes,” Paige says. “Looked like death warmed over, which is really saying something as you really have to _work_ to have skin that pale.” 

“Maybe we should just get ready to hit the road?” Rey says quickly, stuffing the last of her muffin into her mouth. “You know, early bird gets the worm and all that?”

“So why _are_ you and Mr. Grumpy Tour Guide both so tired this morning?” Rose asks. “Come girl, spill. I know there’s something.”

“There’s…” Her voice trails off as Ben ducks his head into the room. He looks like he might step in for a moment, but then his eyes fall on her. A bit of red makes its way up his cheeks and he quickly grabs something off the table and beats a hasty retreat.

“Nothing?” Rose asks.

“We had drinks last night.” She holds her hand up. “It wasn’t a date. He just happened to find me in the hotel bar last night. We shared a few drinks, told some stories, and then went to bed.” At Rose’s look, Rey amends that one as quick as she can. “ _Separately_.”

Rose gives her an assessing look. “There’s more. I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

With a shake of her head, Rey gets up and gathers up her stuff. “I think I’ll head to the van.”

“To talk to Ben?” Paige asks, and there’s humor behind the words.

“I give up on you two.” 

She leaves them, but she hears Paige and Rose laughing behind her and the sound of a slap that she’s pretty sure is a high five.

When she gets to the van, Ben is already there, sitting in his seat, engrossed in whatever Doppler radar and weather information his screens are showing him. She sits down a little heavily and watches as he twitches, but he doesn’t look up at her at all.

She knows he knows she’s there.

It hits like a brick. He’s embarrassed by what happened last night. In her replays, all she remembers is her kissing him, _her_ being the one to initiate it all. She invited him. She kissed him.

He refused.

_It’s not that I don’t want to_ …

But she fears it’s exactly that. And she’s put him in such an awkward position, hasn’t she? He’s not interested, _shouldn’t_ be interested in fucking around with one of the people on the tour. It could mean he makes a wrong move because he’s distracted. He could put them all at risk she supposes, if he weren’t intently focused on his job.

_Fuck, he’s_ working _Rey…don’t forget that_.

He has to be nice to her, to all of them. And she has to keep reminding herself of that. She’s nothing to him, even if they did have an enjoyable conversation. _Even if you’re so much alike_. But she has to shake that thought off, can’t be taken low by it. It’s not often Rey feels a connection to someone. Boyfriends have been few and far between in her twenty-six years, and they were usually friends that she’d grown close to, so it seemed natural to move to such a step.

Never had she felt such an instant connection with someone. She can still feel his hand on her arm, can still see his dark eyes when she leaned up to kiss him. She had been so sure he’d felt it too. But no, here he is completely ignoring her like she doesn’t even exist. It hurts. And maybe that’s the worst of it all.

It fucking hurts.

And it shouldn’t, because who is he really anyway? Just some guy she met on vacation. With a huff, she pulls out her laptop and decides her best course of action is to get completely absorbed into something not related to Ben Solo or the tour.

* * *

“Alright,” Rose says, and Rey looks up to meet her eyes. “It’s just you and me, kid.”

“George Burns?” Rey says with a smirk, and laughs at Rose’s blank look. “Come on, you know the movie. Juvenile delinquents and all?”

“Something like that. But you’re purposely trying to change the subject.”

“There is no subject,” Rey points out.

“Well, there _will_ be if you just stop for a minute,” Rose huffs.

Rey just laughs. It’s a deflection. Rose knows it, she knows it. She knows where this is going, and she doesn’t like it, doesn’t _want_ it. Jannah has disappeared, insisting she needs to explore the town on her own. Poe and Finn had immediately made a beeline for the local Mexican restaurant, Paige in tow. Which left Rey and Rose hitting the pizza joint alone. She’s almost a hundred percent sure that was done by design.

Rose has _questions_.

They’re all over her face as they sit in the little outdoor area. “Come on,” Rose says. “Spill it. The past couple days you’ve been chatting up Solo every chance you get. And today, it’s nothing?”

Rey shrugs. “I was tired.”

“He was too.”

“Like I said…”

“Late night drinks, I know. I don’t buy it. Something happened.” 

Rey sighs. “My gosh, are you channeling Maz?” 

“Your mom?” Rose asks.

“Adopted mom,” Rey says all too quickly. She doesn’t even know why she makes the distinction. She supposes she had grown used to it. She had been just the foster mom, then the adopted mom. By the time she had adopted Rey, she’d been in high school and it was just… strange, she supposes, to call her mom. 

There had always been that tiny part of her that thought her real mom would still come back for her, and what would she think of her calling someone else mom? It wasn’t that she was distant from Maz at all. She had truly been a mother to her, but she supposes that tiny bit kept her separate, kept her as something other than “mom”. Even though she had taken her last name after the adoption.

“Still your mom,” Rose points out, and the soft hand on Rey’s arm makes her jerk a little in response. “Doesn’t matter if she birthed you. Paige and me? We were raised by a friend of the family before our mom got her act together. Auntie Ashoka was as much a mother to us as ours was.”

Rey nods to that. “More than my mother… my birth mother,” she finally says. “She never came back for me.”

Rose nods too. “Maybe you were better off.”

“Maybe.”

“But…” Rose says and there’s a bright, almost mischievous look about her eyes.

Rey groans. “I’m not escaping this line of questioning, am I?”

“Nope.”

But she does, for a moment at least, because Ben Solo himself comes striding up to the pizza place. He doesn’t notice them at first and Rey gets a few moments to study him unimpeded. He does look tired, a little out of sorts. His perfect hair is in a bit of disarray and there are dark circles under his eyes. She knows she looks equally as exhausted, and she probably is. She slept hard after she’d come to images of him flashing behind her eyelids. 

It takes her a moment to realize he’s watching her. His dark eyes flit away almost as soon as hers meet them, and he rushes into the restaurant. 

“Oh yeah, _something_ happened,” Rose says, smug grin firmly in place.

“Alright _fine_. Do you promise not to tell anyone?” She leans a little closer to her newfound friend.

“Not even Paige?”

“Not Paige. Not Finn. No one.” Rey holds out her pinky. “On pain of death?”

“A pinky swear?” Rose squeals. “That means we’re friends right?” It’s a strange thing. She met Rose only a couple days before, but she feels like she’s known the other woman her entire life. There’s something so open, so honest about her. She exudes confidence and an excitement with life that Rey finds almost contagious.

“Of course.”

Rose hooks her pinky through Rey’s. “Then you got it. Secret for _ever_.”

“I kissed him,” she admits, biting her lip and keeping her eyes trained on the door Ben had so recently walked through. 

“Seriously?”

Rey nods.

“And now y’all aren’t talking? Was it bad? I can’t imagine it was. Those lips are made for…”

“Shhh,” Rey says. “No, it wasn’t bad. It was…nice, I guess? He eventually kissed me back. But when I invited him in, he turned me down.”

“Oh.” She watches as Rose visibly deflates.

“That was the last time we spoke,” Rey admits. And it still cuts a bit, his rejection, his quickly leaving as soon as he laid eyes on her. The lack of so much as a glance that morning, like she didn’t even exist. She knows he’d only had a couple drinks, so surely he must remember the previous night, unless he retreated to his room and got blackout drunk to forget about the time the stupid tour patron came onto him.

Maybe he’s used to it.

Maybe it happens every time he helps out his father.

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t do these tours, why he seems to dislike them and yet like them at the same time.

Maybe it was…

“Rey?” 

Rey blinks and raises her eyes to see Rose watching her with a worried look.

“Yeah?”

“You blanked out there for a moment.”

“Oh right. Sorry.” 

She’s spared saying anything else as Ben strides out of the shop, a couple of slices of pizza in one hand, soda in the other. He stops for just a brief moment in front of their table.

“Join us?” Rose asks, her face the absolute picture of innocence.

Ben looks at Rose for a moment, but his eyes fall on Rey and he doesn’t look away as he speaks. “Van leaves in a half hour. Don’t be late.” And then he walks off. Rey wants to call him back, but instead just leans back in her chair with a bit of a sigh.

“Wow you’re _smitten_ ,” Rose whispers as they both watch him walk away. “Not that I don’t understand…”

“He obviously doesn’t feel the same.” It’s clear as day now. Not even an inquiry into how she’s feeling, if she slept well, if she wanted to maybe do it again that night. Nothing.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Rose says. “Maybe he’s playing hard to get.”

Rey laughs. “Impossible to get is more like it. No, think about it for a second. He’s the big handsome son of the tour operator. He probably has women throwing themselves at him all the time. What’s one more, right? And look at me…”

“Yeah? Look at you what? You’re gorgeous.”

She’s not. She knows that. She’s a tomboy, preferring to throw her hair back in a ponytail or a bun and leave the house with no makeup. She hasn’t even brought makeup on this tour. It’s not like she’d need it right? They’re going to be chasing after nature’s scariest storms. You don’t need to, or even _want_ to look good while doing that. “Oh please…”

“No seriously. He’s a fool if he doesn’t want you.”

“Thanks,” Rey murmurs. “Now can we change the subject? Like…what’s going on with Poe and Finn?”

Rose laughs at that, and the mischievous light is back in her eyes. “Oh, there’s a story there, that’s for sure.”

The two lean closer together, as if they’re afraid the men in question might show up at any point. At least it takes Rose’s mind off whatever the hell happened between Rey and Ben the previous night. The conversation flows easily from there, and all too quickly they realize they need to rush off to make the van. 

She hopes Ben will be absorbed in whatever his computer is telling him by the time she gets back. She’s not sure she’s ready to face him.

* * *

The rest of the trip passes in silence. Ben says nothing to her, but every once in awhile she can feel the weight of his gaze on her. By the time she gets the nerve to look up, he’s looked back at his computer, absorbed in whatever it is on his screen.

She wants to ask about the night before, about what he’s thinking. She could start a conversation, of course, about what the day has in store. She’s curious about that much at least. He’s told them of storms that are gathering in Colorado and they’re aiming for another town in the middle of nowhere. There’s a motel nearby, so after they see whatever they can see, they’ll check in there. He’s already called ahead and booked a suite of rooms. She imagines that hers will be nowhere near his.

Maybe it’s safer that way.

No temptation.

No wondering if he thinks of her at all like she’s coming to think of him.

She knows he’s not. If he was…well, surely he would have followed her into her room. She was so _sure_ he was interested. She doesn’t know how she could have misinterpreted all the signs.

Well, it’s no matter. There are things to focus on and _Ben_ is not one of them. They’re heading toward another opportunity, another chance to catch her dream.

* * *

They pull into the parking lot of a dingy motel. It’s seen better days, that’s for sure. The paint is peeling and the sign, now slightly crooked, only has the last three letters lit up. No one says anything as the van comes to a halt. Not even Ben, who’s staring at the place with a bit of dismay.

“Well,” he finally says as he stands to address the group, ducking his head a bit so he doesn’t hit it on the top of the van. He really is too tall for the thing. “I did warn you guys that sometimes our accommodations would be a little rough. Well, here…” He waves his hand out the window. “It’s still a hotel. You still get a bed for the night. Frankly, this is probably the most action this little town has probably seen in awhile, so expect to be curiosities.” 

His eyes fall on Rey for a moment, but flit away quickly.

“Storms are set to come in later this evening, If you’ve never seen supercells or tornadoes at night, well, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the most beautiful and surreal sights I’ve ever seen.” He points out that there’s a diner down the road they can all hit if they want an early dinner, otherwise they can rest up and expect to meet back at the van around 8:00pm unless they hear otherwise. And then with a curt nod, he rushes off the van, Chewie following close on his heels.

Jannah gives a low whistle and everyone turns to her. “Well, someone pissed in his cornflakes, didn’t they?”

“And I’m betting I know just what has him in such a tizzy,” Rose says, and Rey hears Finn and Jannah laughing behind her. It seems the only curiosity here is her and whatever is going on between her and Ben.

* * *

“What was that about?” Chewie asks Ben as soon as they’re out of earshot of the rest of the group.

“I need rest,” Ben shoots back with.

“I’m sure you do. You came back late last night.”

“How did you…” Ben’s voice fades away. “Right. That _supersonic_ hearing of yours. Maybe you should mind your own business,” he grumbles at him.

“Can’t,” Chewie says with a shrug of his massive shoulders. His bearded face splits into a grin. “I promised your father I’d keep an eye on you.”

“Dad had a heart attack. He should be worrying about his own health, not mine.”

“It’s not your health he’s worried about, Benny.”

“Don’t _call_ me that.” It doesn’t matter how old he is. Five or twenty-five or over thirty. Whenever he’s with Uncle Chewie, it’s like he’s a kid again. 

“Want me to call you ‘Starfighter’?”

“I grew out of that phase,” he grumbles.

Another laugh. “I suppose you did. Went from NASA to more earthly dangers.” He gives Ben a look and he knows where this one is going.

“Don’t go there,” Ben warns, one finger raised.

“What’s going on with Rey?”

Ben groans. “You went there.”

“She’s a nice girl,” Chewie points out. 

“There’s nothing going on.”

“I know you were out with her last night.”

“It was a coincidence. We ran into each other at the bar.”

Chewie makes a huffing noise.

“We _did_. She’s…”

“Lovely?” Chewie interrupts with.

“Intense. I was going to say intense.”

“Most people say that about you.” Chewie raises one massive hand and lays it on Ben’s shoulder. “Just be careful, Benny. I know you haven’t had a lot of girlfriends…”

Ben groans again. “Can we not talk about my love life?”

“Or lack of one?” Chewie asks. “Okay, I’ll say no more. Mum’s the word and all that.” He makes a zipping motion over his lips. 

“I’ll be careful,” Ben finally says. It’s the one thing he’s promised himself. His experience with women is probably less than even Chewie knows. A couple girlfriends in college that didn’t last more than a month or two before they couldn’t take his obsessions, his thrill seeking. They wanted to go to the movies. He wanted to go chase storms. The one he’d taken on a chase with his dad had screamed almost the entire time. She never spoke to him again.

With a sigh, he lets himself into his room. It’s almost as dingy as the outside, but it’s clean at least. The bed is made up and it doesn’t stink. It is, quite frankly, more than he expected out of the place. As he sits on the edge of the bed, tossing his duffel bag carelessly to the ground, his thoughts turn to Rey.

As they tend to.

He met her three days ago.

Three short days, and he can feel this _pull_ to her like he’s never felt to anyone before. Chewie doesn’t know the extent of his lack of interest in relationships. He’s studiously kept himself out of them for nearly eight years. He hadn’t been entirely celibate. Okay he _mostly_ had been. There had been a one night stand that he tries to forget. It had been an abysmal coupling on a day when the stresses of life had weighed him down and alcohol had loosened his tongue and his inhibitions.

But otherwise?

No one.

And suddenly he _wants_ there to be someone. The worst thing about it all is that he wants to fucking cry. Because this is his life. He can never get his act together, demons still haunting him. He’d like to think he was well and truly rid of Snoke, the man who had single-handedly nearly ruined his career and therefore all of his dreams. Only his walking away and his parents had saved him.

But the man dogged his every step and even now, sitting in this hotel room in the middle of nowhere and thinking of Rey, Ben can feel him weighing him down.

Ben escaped.

But he doesn’t know when Snoke will come for him and destroy any bit of a career Ben has tried to build.

* * *

They drive out to the spot Ben has picked out around eight that night. Rey can already see clouds gathering in the distance. The sun is setting and it’s beautiful, the way the storm is making its march across the plains. Rey had already gotten her camera out and attached it to the tripod before they left the van. Preparation. She knows that’s the name of the game. With just the camera and tripod out there, she’s maneuverable. She can quickly swivel to catch something or grab it and run if she needs to.

She’s peering through the lens when she feels a presence next to her. It’s strange how she’s come to know him so well. She feels the heat emanating off his body, senses the motion of the air as he comes closer.

“Rey,” he says, his voice soft.

She pulls away from the camera to look at him. They’re a distance away from the others. She hadn’t realized that before, and it makes her shiver.

“Are you cold?”

“No,” she says quickly, holding her hands up. She doesn’t know why. To keep him at bay? To keep _herself_ at bay? “I’m fine,” she concedes, looking back at the storm.

He clears his throat. “About last night…”

“You don’t need to explain,” she cuts him off with. 

“I do.”

“Look,” she says and can’t help the annoyance that’s creeping into her voice. “I _really_ don’t want to hear it. You didn’t want to. You were allowed to make that choice. Carry on.” She waves a hand at him and bends over to look back in the viewfinder of her camera.

“I wanted to,” he says, the words so quiet she almost misses them.

“Pardon?” She’s looking at him again and notes the dark circles, the intensity in his golden brown eyes, the furrow between his brows. He says nothing for a moment, and then runs one of his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends of the locks for a moment before releasing them with a sigh.

“I wanted to.” 

That’s a little bit louder. She’s pretty sure she heard the words this time, but that can’t be right. Can it? “You wanted to?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t understand.”

He moves a little closer to her. “No? I wanted to, Rey. I wanted to come into that room with you and see where things led.”

“I think you know where they were going to lead,” she murmurs.

“Yes. I do.”

“Then I don’t understand any of this. We’re both adults…”

“You’re my responsibility on this tour. You’re in my care. Everyone in that van is, and if I’m distracted, I could risk their lives, could risk _yours_. If I make the wrong decision in a moment of crisis, was it because I just didn’t have the right information or because my brain was so fucking addled all I could think of was how you’d feel wrapped around me?”

“Fuck,” she mutters.

“Exactly. And coupled with the fact you’d been drinking...” His voice trails off there.

“I’d had two.”

“And you were clearly tipsy.” He sighs again, runs his finger through his hair, and she can see the tips of his ears are a bit red. “I didn’t want you regretting it.”

“I wouldn’t.” The words tumble from her mouth too quickly, and she can feel her own face heat.

“Oh,” he says, eyes a little wide. “Okay.”

“The invitation’s still open,” she hears herself say and just _who_ was it that took over her mouth today? She’s had nothing to drink, had wanted to make sure she stayed sober as she set out to watch the storms. “Fuck.” She lets out a little giggle.

“Okay. That’s uh…good to know.”

“Yeah.” She’s not sure what else to say, and so turns to watching the approaching storm.

Ben doesn’t leave her side as she continues to photograph the storm. She puts her longer lens on the camera at one point, zooming in and hoping to catch some of the cloud to ground lightning that’s lighting up the sky. 

“You uh…”

“Got myself a lightning trigger,” she says with a grin. “This thing is fucking amazing and so worth the money. Part of my splurge from Maz’s money. It senses the flash of light and takes a photo. I just have to dial in the settings and let it go. I don’t even have to be _near_ it.” But she does stay near her camera, enjoying hearing it click in time with the lightning, listening to the rumble of thunder.

She takes some in wide angle, hoping to catch the clouds.

She takes some close up, hoping for dramatic lightning.

There’s no tornado, not that night, but there’s an amazing storm that continues its push toward them. The wind picks up and she steps closer to her camera, protecting it.

“We need to get out of here,” Ben says next to her.

She can feel the electricity in the air, and she’s not sure if it’s the storm or Ben or just her own heart racing. Her camera fires off a few more shots and Rey’s eyes just stay glued to the storm. The wind is really hitting them now, and with it come the first drops of rain. 

“Back to the van!” Ben shouts. He’s looking at his phone now, which has the Doppler radar displayed on it. “Everyone _move!_ We’re probably about thirty seconds out from some hail.”

That gets them all moving, grabbing gear and racing back to the safety of the van. Chewie already has it fired up, ready to go as soon as Ben gets on. He’s the last, of course, the captain going down with the ship as it were. Chewie nods as Ben throws himself into his seat, and then backs up and peels out of there to race down the dirt road.

Rey turns and watches out the window as they get out ahead of the storm. As they pull back into their motel parking lot and race for the lobby, she wonders if Ben will take her up on that offer, or if he’s still too much of a gentleman to think about it.


	6. Day 5: Amarillo, Texas

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50358918398/in/dateposted-public/)

He doesn’t join her.

And she has a very disappointing night. He’s right though. She knows that. If he’s distracted, it could mean something terrible for them all.

The group all tumble out to the van early that morning. There’s no continental breakfast at the cheap motel they stayed at, so Ben has set them on a course to the nearest diner. No coffee, no breakfast. Rey has had one of her granola bars to tide her over, but she sits on the van with her head pressed against the window and her eyes half open.

She chooses to grab something from the diner and return to the van to eat alone. A muffin, some juice, and a few muffins to go for later. She can feel Ben’s eyes on her as she leaves the place and Rose stops her briefly, concern in every line of her face.

“I’m fine,” Rey mutters. She is, she supposes. It’s stupid to be upset about this, really. He’s just some guy, isn’t he? Some random guy she met on a vacation, no one important in the grand scheme of things. He doesn’t live near her, doesn’t know her. He was just going to be a good lay, right?

As she settles back into her seat and stares at the muffin she’s bought, she wonders if that’s the case, then why does it matter so fucking much?

* * *

“You screwed up,” Chewie says.

Ben groans. 

“I knew it. Your dad screwed up a lot too.”

“Dad screwed up because he was an arrogant prick,” Ben points out. Han, the ladies’ man. Han, the guy with a different woman in every town. Sometimes he screwed up their names. Sometimes he didn’t call when he should have. And then he’d met his mother and he swears that she was it.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t screw up. All the damned time.

Chewie just grunts.

“You know I’m right,” Ben says.

Chewie grunts again. “You know I am too.”

Ben runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t… How could I have screwed up? I didn’t _do_ anything.” Chewie raises his bushy eyebrows and Ben snarls something incoherent. “That’s the problem right? I should have? I’m not my father. I can’t _be_ my father.”

“I don’t think she wants that.”

“It’s what everyone wants,” Ben mutters. “Suave Han, who sweeps a woman off her feet and leaves her with a lifetime of memories in just one night. And then he’s gone… disappeared out the door.” Ben thumps his hand against his chest. “That’s not _me_. I can’t be me. I’m…”

“Relationship material?” Chewie interrupts with.

Ben’s drawn up short with that. “Not that,” he finally says, the words quiet. “Never that.”

“Suit yourself,” Chewie says, and stands. “Probably should leave soon.” 

And then he’s gone and Ben is left alone with his thoughts. His mind has been running through all the scenarios since last night. What if he had gone to her room? What if he had let his hormones lead him down that path, had woken up in her bed? He doesn’t know if it would lead somewhere or if it would just be a meaningless vacation dalliance to her.

Perhaps that’s the issue. Ben is drawn to her. He wonders what she’d feel like wrapped around him, of course, wonders what it would be like to drive into her, to hear her little moans, to feel her lose control. But there’s more than that. There had been some sort of connection there that night at the hotel bar. They’d talked for hours, their outlooks on life so similar that it had scared him at times.

And he _wanted_ her.

Wanted all of her.

But he doesn’t know what she wants. 

And he doesn’t know how to ask.

He slams his fist down on the table, forks and knives clattering together. He can feel everyone’s eyes on him as he strides out of the diner. “We leave in five minutes,” he says just before he hits the door with enough force to send it flying against the wall. Before it closes, he can hear someone mutter something that sounds like _what the hell is his problem_.

With a growl, he sets out for the van. He’ll throw himself into radar and weather information and forget all about this whole mess.

* * *

They arrive at a hotel somewhere to the north of Amarillo, Texas in the early afternoon. It’s been a long drive, some seven hours. Ben sets a brutal pace. When they stop, it’s for short bits only. They can run into the rest room at a convenience store. They can grab a quick lunch at a fast food place. He doesn’t let them stop to chat or do more than stretch their legs.

Rey is annoyed at it all, but she supposes there must be something good at the end of it.

There’s not.

Ben gathers them by the van in the parking lot of the hotel they’re staying at that night. “I have some good news. And some bad news too.” The latter is said with a bit of a smirk. “So here’s the bad news. There’s nothing going on tonight. The weather is clear for miles and the nearest storms are hundreds of miles away.”

Rey glances over at Finn and watches as he smiles. She can hear him whisper a soft _yes_ and hears Poe laugh from where he stands far too close to him. 

“Well, maybe it’s not bad news to all of us,” Ben says with the ghost of a smile. “The good news is that you’re free for the night. Now, we’re near a major city, which is why I pushed us so hard to get here. That means there are a number of things to do, from restaurants to shopping to…”

“An amusement park,” Rey breathes, scrolling through her phone. “Oh, there’s an amusement park here.” She looks up to find everyone watching her. “I mean…roller coasters. Right?”

There are a few shrugs. Finn, of course, looks a little green at the thought. It shouldn’t make her smile, but it does. Of course he hates roller coasters.

She flips through the ride information. “Get this! There’s one called Texas Tornado!” She holds up her phone toward everyone.

Finn shudders. “No way. Not me.” 

Poe has his arm around him, she realizes, and he looks almost sympathetic. “Not me either.”

“It’ll mess up your hair?” Ben says, and Rey chokes back a laugh.

“My hair isn’t nearly as perfect as yours,” Poe shoots back. “But no. It’s not my hair. Thanks for the compliment on that anyway,” he says with another nod toward Ben. “Finn and I are going to hit the town. I hear there are some good clubs here.”

“I don’t think they’re your kind of clubs,” Ben says.

Finn’s cheeks turn a bit ruddy and he looks away from them. 

“I mean...this is _Texas_ ,” Ben says. He steps a little closer, and Rey watches as he meets Finn’s eyes and then glances at Poe. “I don’t want anything to happen to you guys.”

Rey melts a little at that. He’s vowed to take care of them, _all_ of them. Even Poe, who just rolls his eyes at his concern.

“Whatever,” Poe says. “Come on, Finn. Let’s check in so we can blow this popsicle stand.” They grab their bags out of the back of the van and are headed in before anyone can say anything else.

“Oh come _on_ ,” Rey says. “Surely someone wants to hit the amusement park?” They’re thrill seekers, aren’t they? They should all be chomping at the bit to hit the coasters. She can almost sense the place, even where they stand. She can feel anticipation as the roller coaster climbs up to the first drop, that click-click-click as it goes up that giant first hill, ever so slowly, can feel the wind in her hair at the first drop. She loves the way her stomach seems to lodge in her throat, the way the excitement races through every nerve in her body.

“Sorry Rey,” Rose says. “Paige and I thought we’d hit a little shopping, maybe a nice restaurant.” Paige shrugs. “Amusement parks aren’t really our thing.”

Rey glances over at Jannah. “Sorry,” she says. “I’ve got a ride coming. I’m hitting the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It’s the second largest canyon in the United States. Did you know that?” Her eyes are bright. “I’m going hiking. I need to stretch my legs.”

“You can walk at the amusement park,” Rey points out.

“Sorry,” Jannah says again.

She hears Ben sigh. “I’ll go,” he says. He sounds hesitant, Rey notices. Like this is the last thing he wants.

“You don’t have to,” she says quickly. “I can go alone.”

“No.”

Rey shrugs. “It’s not like I haven’t gone alone before.”

“No,” Ben says, the word a little stronger. “I enjoy amusement parks. Chewie can drop us off and then take Jannah to the park.” He nods at the other woman.

Rey turns toward him. “Ben, seriously. You don’t have to go with me.”

He meets her eyes for just a moment before his eyes slide away. “Go check in. I’ll meet you down here in a half hour.” He holds up his hand. “I’m going with you.” He leans a little closer, meets her eyes again. “Please?”

Rey sighs. “Fine.” She turns from him then and shivers. She has no idea what is even going on. It’s not like Jannah is being any less safe, but he doesn’t seem to be inclined to protect her. Rey has no doubt Jannah can protect herself. It’s something she likes about her. She’s centered in a way Rey is jealous of. Jannah knows who she is and what she’s about and there’s never any hesitation in the way she interacts with the world. It’s a lovely thing, really, that confidence.

With a sigh, Rey pulls her bags from the van and heads to the hotel to check in. She’s not sure if she’s looking forward to this or dreading it after his rejection of her the other night.

* * *

“Alright,” Rey says, hooking her arm through Ben’s. “Where to?” They’ve just paid their way into the park and the place is bustling. There’s a great crowd around them, happy kids running around, indulgent parents, twenty-somethings who have clearly had a bit too much to drink. Rey thinks they maybe shouldn’t be going on rides in that condition, but what does she know? 

“Lead the way,” Ben says, waving his free hand around him. 

On the way over, he’d been quiet and a little grumpy. She’s gotten him to agree to at least relax, if not truly enjoy himself. He’s agreed to be _happy_ , or something approaching it at least. And so he’s clearly decided to let her take the lead. She intends to take complete advantage of it.

“Excellent! Texas Tornado here we come.” She tugs at his arm and he doesn’t move for a moment. “What?” she asks.

“Do we have to do that one first?” 

She stops to watch him. “You _do_ enjoy roller coasters don’t you?”

“Sure,” he says with a shrug.

“Then let’s go.” She pulls at him again.

“It’s just that it’s been awhile.” Her eyebrows shoot up. “Coasters, I mean.” His cheeks are a little red. “I haven’t been to an amusement park since I was a teenager, okay? Maybe we could work our way up to that one.”

Rey laughs. “No way! Texas Tornado or bust!” He comes with her this time, a little groan in the back of his throat. But he follows along, and she’s really glad he’s there with her. She would have been fine on her own. She knows that. Rey always was an independent kid; she’d had to learn that after being moved from one foster home to another. But still, she’s thankful that he’s at her side as they race through the park to find the first roller coaster she wants to try.

They wend their way through the park, quiet the entire way. Rey takes in everything, the people hawking their wares, the carnies at their games trying to get them to try them out. “You’ll have to win me one of those big stuffed dogs,” Rey says as they pass by one. 

“We don’t have room on the van,” Ben points out.

Rey laughs.

When they reach the ride, Rey gapes up at it, eyes bright, a big smile on her face. Ben looks a little less enthused. She’s still not sure if it’s just because he doesn’t want to babysit her, or if there’s something else there.

The line moves quicker than she expected and she’s excited for that. The closer they get, the more Ben seems to drag his feet a little.

“Oh! We can get in the front row!” Rey says, dragging him over to the right side of the platform.

“Awesome,” he mutters, but he follows her to the front and straps himself in at her side when directed to do so.

This is the part that Rey loves the best, and she reaches over to squeeze Ben’s arm. He doesn’t move. It’s like he’s a statue next to her. When she looks over, his eyes are staring straight again and he flinches a little with every click as the coaster moves up the first big hill.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Fine,” is all he says.

He’s not. She can tell. His hands are on his knees, gripping hard, knuckles white. “You’re not.”

“I am.”

“No, you’re…”

“I hate roller coasters,” he cuts her off with.

“You…”

“Hate them. Yes. They’re… awful.” He shudders.

The coaster continues up its incline. “But…”

“Just… enjoy it, okay?”

“You came for me,” she says, the words whispered in awe. He doesn’t respond and so she glances over at him. He’s not watching her. His eyes are still fixed intently forward.

They’re almost at the peak, almost at that moment when the coaster hangs there, seemingly in midair, the moment waiting for the downward rush, stomach ready to fly up into your throat. And she’s not watching it.

She’s watching _him_.

“You _did_ ,” she reiterates.

“Fine, whatever. Oh dear God,” he says as the roller coaster starts its descent. Rey reaches over and grabs his hand.

And then she’s lost in the twists and turns and the feeling of flying as it turns upside down in a huge loop. It’s not a real tornado. Not even close, she imagines. But she loves the feeling of it all. Ben’s hand is clutched tightly in hers the entire time. He doesn’t make a peep even when the entire group screams their excitement.

He's just…silent.

When they get to the end, she watches as he releases a breath and leans back, head against the headrest, eyes closed.

“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” she asks.

He says nothing for a moment, but his eyes finally open and he turns to look at her. “Yeah. It was just wonderful.” His voice is flat.

She smiles at him and squeezes the hand she’s still holding. “Maybe we try the Carousel next?”

He nods. “That might be a bit more my speed.”

She laughs and pushes up on her harness when she hears the click to release it. “Come on,” she says as she stands. “There’s still _so_ much to see here.”

He stands on somewhat wobbly legs and crawls out of the coaster. For a moment, he turns and looks at it. The attendant steps a little closer to Rey. “Is your boyfriend okay?” he asks her.

She’s about to tell him that he’s not her boyfriend when Ben responds. “I’m fine. Roller coasters just really aren’t my thing.”

The attendant laughs. “Yeah? Me neither.” He looks at Rey. “You got a good one. Hang onto him.” He winks and then waves them off. 

Rey’s not quite sure what to say to that and so just mutters a _yeah_ and leads Ben off the ride platform. The carousel. Definitely the carousel. A small part of her giggles inside at the thought of Ben’s long legs dangling over the edges of one of the gaily decorated horses.

* * *

Her joy is infectious. Almost, at least. Ben still feels a little off from that damned roller coaster ride. Couldn’t she have at least started with something a little tamer? Though she tells him, as they leave the platform, that it _is_ tamer than some of the other rides.

He shudders at that.

He’s going to have to get used to it, he supposes, as he lets her drag him off to the next ride, the next big thing.

He follows her to the carousel, the Ferris Wheel, to the pirate ship, which actually turns out to be a bit of fun. His stomach unclenches a little as she tells him to close his eyes and imagine standing on the bow of the ship, the wind in his hair, and nothing but the ocean for miles. “Feels more like a hurricane,” he mutters, but there’s no bite behind the words.

He's actually starting to have fun when she begs him to try one of the games. He knows they’re rigged. _She_ knows they’re rigged. And yet he simply smiles and waves her to the nearest one. It’s one of those milk bottle games with three throws to knock the bottles down. The carnie demonstrates. 

Of course it’s easy for him. He hands Rey a ball with a flourish.

She stares at it for a moment and then smiles. Ben is sure that she’s up to something. There’s an overly sweet smile on her face. She smiles a lot, he knows. He sees her with the others on the tour, even with himself. They’re usually great big smiles, dimples showing, but this one is close-mouthed, almost more a smirk.

“I want _that_ ball,” she says, pointing.

“Excuse me?'' carnie asks her. _Steve_ his name tag says.

She leans forward. “You heard me, _Steve_. I want the ball you have in your other hand.”

“Why? They’re the same.”

Rey shrugs. “If they are, then no harm, no foul, right?”

_She knows something._ It’s clear as day. 

Steve finally hands her the ball and backs off. She tosses him the other one with a little _hmph_ and then winds up and throws the ball hard at the milk bottles. They all go down with a crash. 

“Wow,” Ben says.

Steve is just staring at her, but finally takes the ball back and quickly tucks it down below where other customers can’t get to it. Ben narrows his eyes on the man. Clearly there’s a story there.

“Great,” Steve says. “Um…nice job. You can pick out anything at the top there.” He swallows hard. 

“Rey, we don’t have…”

“I know.” She reaches up and grabs one of the things, a big furry dog. She pulls it down and stares at it for a moment. He hates the sort of sad look that’s on her face. But it passes in an instant, her face breaking out into a big smile as she turns to hand it to the child behind her. “You’ll never win this thing,” she says in a stage whisper. “It’s rigged. But I can’t take this home with me, so it’s yours!”

The child squeals with delight. As Ben and Rey head off, he sees the way the mother is eying them and _delight_ is not the description he'd use.

“What just happened?” he asked.

“Oh!” she says, grabbing his hand and pulling him to another game. “The ladder climb. Have you done this?”

“What?” he asks, turning to stare at the rope ladder. Someone is climbing it currently and it takes only a moment to see that the person is going to overbalance and fall. A moment later, he does, the others with him laughing and cursing. “No. I have no interest in doing such things.”

“Oh come on, Ben! It’ll be fun.”

“Fun like the roller coaster?”

She grins. “More fun than that! You look like you’re in pretty good shape…”

“Pretty good?” he huffs. Fuck. She’s messing with him. He can tell by the ridiculous grin on her face and the way she’s biting her lower lip. “Alright fine. How much?” 

And for the great big fee of five bucks, he gets to make a complete ass out of himself. Oh, he expects _not_ to. She’s right that he’s in good shape. He runs almost every day, hits the gym a few days a week. He takes pride in staying in shape and being able to use his body well. The ladder isn’t even that long, and Ben is _tall_. All he really needs to do is get up a handful of the rungs and he’ll be able to reach the bell.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Rey says and he pauses for a second, then smirks.

Something like thirty seconds later he’s laying on his back on the mat beneath the ladder, watching it bounce around above him, and listening to Rey laugh. 

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” he grumbles as he crawls to his feet and rejoins her.

“I’m sure it’s not,” Rey says. “But I want to try!”

“You don’t,” Ben says.

“No, really. I do. It looks fun.” She wraps her hands around his arm and leans into him and it takes everything he can do to resist her. “Oh come on, sweetie. Can’t I have a try at it?”

She’s up to something.

Again.

_Fuck_.

“Sure, I guess,” he says, handing the guy another five out of his wallet. She’ll owe him for this one, he swears.

The carnie smirks as he takes the money and waves her toward the ladder. She stumbles her way over. Ben narrows his eyes as he watches her. She’s moving like she’s been drinking. 

She has _not_ been drinking, damn her.

She stops, quickly shucks her shoes and climbs the fucker bare-footed. She’s lithe, sure of herself. Her feet grab onto the sides of the ladder like she’s a damned monkey. And then she shimmies up it and rings the bell like she’s been doing this every day of her life.

“Still got it!” she says as she leaps down.

The carnie is just staring at her as she slips her shoes back on. “You…” he says as he hands over her prize. “You’re not supposed to do that.”

“Do what?” she asks, eyes wide. 

Ben wants to grab her and haul her off, or maybe just haul her back behind the game, back where no one can see them, slam her up against the wall and kiss her until all she can do is moan his name. 

He groans.

“Um…the shoes…nevermind,” the carnie says and waves them on. He’s all too quick to want to get rid of them, no doubt too afraid others will have seen her beat the game in such a way.

“You okay?” she asks as they walk off.

“Fine,” he says.

But he’s pretty sure he’s anything _but_ fine. He’s not sure he ever will be fine again.

He is so utterly fucked.

* * *

They spend the rest of the evening hitting various rides. She’s happy to see Ben relax more and more as the day wears on. They have dinner at one of the stands. He’s never had corn dogs before. She shakes her head and insists he eat the quintessential state fair and amusement park food.

He looks horrified, but in the end he eats two of the giant things and considers going back for a third before she starts talking about another roller coaster.

She rides The Mouse Trap, a massive coaster that Ben blanches at when he sees it. She takes pity on him and does it on her own. And then she does it again since the line is short. Ben is there waiting for her with cotton candy and a shrug when she gets off the second time. She swipes his cotton candy and laughs as she dances away from him.

“You,” he starts to say, his hand coming up toward her face before it falls back to his side.

“Me?”

“There’s a little…uh…a little cotton candy. Right there.” He points at her and when she cocks her head to the side, he takes a step closer. She sucks in a breath. She’s forgotten quickly just how big he is. He dwarfs her, standing so close, and she can feel the heat of his eyes on her as his hand comes up and his thumb swipes at the corner of her mouth.

Her breath hitches a little at the contact.

“Fuck,” he mutters. And then his hand cups her jaw and he leans toward her. Her face comes up to meet his halfway. His lips are soft, gentle, as they meet hers. He groans as his other hand comes up to cup her face and deepens the kiss, his tongue swiping across the seam of her lips, seeking entry as she opens to him. Her hands wind around his shoulders, tangle in his hair. 

His hands leave her jaw and wrap around her waist, hauling her in close against him. She sinks into the kiss, into the feel of him, into the way he makes her entire body tingle. She’s kissed men before, been kissed, but not like this.

When they break apart to catch their breath, Ben’s eyes are dark and hooded. He stares at her, mouth parted, lips red from their kisses. “I…” he starts to say. “Uh…you said you wanted to do the Texas Tornado again?”

She blinks. “What?” Her voice is a little breathless.

“The roller coaster?”

She lets out a little laugh. “Of course. Right.” She shifts back and it takes him a moment to release her, his arms dropping to his sides. “It’s what we’re here for, right?”

“Right.” 

They stare at each other for another moment and then he makes a small half-bow, waving her on ahead of him. She starts to walk off, but instead reaches for his hand, entwining their fingers and tugging him after her. Maybe she’ll even take pity on him and let him wait while she rides the coaster this time.

Or…

Maybe not.


	7. Day 6: Amarillo, TX and Parts South

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50358918388/in/dateposted-public/)

When Rey stumbles down to the hotel restaurant the next morning, she’s not sure if she’s happy or not. Her emotions are a bit of a muddled mess, really. Ben had gone on the ride with her. Twice, even. And he _almost_ enjoyed it. 

He held her hand the whole time.

He kissed her when he walked her to her room. She didn’t invite him in. She knew better. But for a moment he almost seemed like he was going to throw that caution to the wind. He’d hesitated, stood there with his arm against the door frame. And then he finally bid her a good night and left.

She’d slept well that night, at least, curled tightly into the sheets of her air-conditioned room. She’d dreamt of him, dreamt of that kiss, of him taking it further. Dreamt of his fingers dancing across the skin of her stomach, dipping through the curls at the apex of her thighs. She’d awoken with a gasp as she imagined him sliding his cock inside her, the sort of wet dream she hadn’t had since she was a teenager.

She has trouble meeting his eyes when he walks into the restaurant that morning. But then he smiles at her. Actually smiles. 

“Well, well…looks like you had a nice day yesterday,” Rose says. She’s sitting across from Rey with a big smirk on her face.

Jannah, sitting next to her, twists in her seat to find Ben still watching them. “Nah,” she says. 

“What?” Rey asks.

“That’s _not_ a man who got laid last night.”

Rose bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Finn asks as he and Poe approach the table. 

“Now _that_ is,” Jannah says, eying the two men up. Rose laughs even harder. Even Paige cracks a smile. Too serious for her own good, Rey thinks.

“You guys are weird,” Finn says.

Poe looks like the cat who ate the canary.

Ben is still standing by the door, looking a little bit like a fish out of water. Rey has no idea if he’ll even come over, but she stands and waves to him. 

He takes a step toward them.

“Come join us,” Rey says.

He looks around at the group. She waves her hand at him again and he finally heaves a sigh, before walking over.

“Morning all,” he says,

“Join us,” Rey says again.

He does, and they all scoot around so he ends up sitting next to Rey. She looks up and sees Rose still grinning at her. 

“So what’s on the agenda today?” Jannah asks over the menu she’s looking at.

No one answers for a moment, and then Poe finally jumps in. “I suppose…chasing some storms?” He laughs. No one else does. Rey cringes a little.

Ben just gives him a look. He’s tired, she notices, dark circles beneath his eyes again. She wonders if he ever gets enough sleep. “I…um…yes?” he finally says, and then shakes his head. 

They’re interrupted by the waitress, who comes to take their drink orders. Coffee all around, except for Rey, whose British sensibilities won’t allow her to drink anything but tea. When the waitress is gone, Ben sets his menu down and glances around at the table. Rey likes their little group, when she really thinks about it.

Ben, their fearless leader, who keeps a close eye on damned near everything. He watches their group, the radar, keeps an eye out for information from storm spotters. 

Rose with her excitement, cool Paige, and seen-it-all but still loves it Jannah. Terrified Finn, who has gained a very soft spot in her heart. She wants to protect him, keep him safe from any of the scary things they’re facing down. She hasn’t asked him lately how he’s holding up. Granted, they haven’t seen much either. Nothing the day before at all, some storms, rotation, but nothing major. She hopes he’s doing okay.

She supposes she doesn’t even mind Poe, who has clearly moved on from thinking he might hook up with her and has something going on with Finn. She knows they went off last night together and today Finn seems just a little bit calmer. 

“Storms may be forming to the south,” Ben says. “There’s a cold front there and some models show it colliding with a warm front.”

“The problem?” Rey asks. There’s a hesitancy to his voice that she’s learning to recognize.

“It’s all very nebulous at the moment. Models are usually clearer than this. Some show it becoming a strong storm about three hours south of here. Some show it breaking up and becoming nothing. And there’s everything in between.” He takes a deep breath. “So let’s eat and get out of here. And we’ll see what we see.”

Rey wants to reach under the table and squeeze his hand, but she doesn’t. Instead, she just nods and accepts the drink the waitress sets in front of her.

* * *

It’s been a long day. Rey stumbles into her room at the hotel back in Amarillo feeling a little bit wrung out. They’d gone three hours south, only to see the storm in the distance break up and disappear like nothing.

They’d chased east, then north. They’d seen some lightning, a little rain. She supposes the people of the towns they pass through are breathing their sighs of relief. They’ve escaped the storms again, escaped the possibility of having homes or businesses destroyed. She should feel the same way. It’s logical, after all.

But instead, she feels exhausted and disappointed. When she sits down on her bed that evening, she just wants to curl into a little ball and cry. She’s seen some interesting things, some beautiful storms. She loves the pictures she’s taken so far and she has so much to edit when she finally gets home.

But they’re not tornadoes.

They’re not what she _wants_ to see. And she knows, she’s always known, that there’s no guarantee. It’s written all over the website for the company. Han told her. Ben reiterated it. Still, she keeps hoping that she’ll be one of the lucky ones to get to see all of Mother Nature’s fury in its full glory.

And she has one more shot at it. One more and then she goes back to her boring life and tries to put together the pieces after losing Maz. It’s not how she wanted to return, defeated and alone. But she supposes that’s going to be the truth of it.

* * *

He can’t make it happen. He wants to make it happen, give them all what they want: that tornado. _Well,_ he amends, _maybe not Finn_. He sees him smile each day that they return to the hotel without seeing something.

He wants to make it happen for Rey, he realizes. _Fuck_.

He is so fucked.

He’s been telling himself this. He should back off, pull away. But then he thinks of her sheer delight when they hit the top of the tracks for the roller coaster. He thinks of her lithe body climbing that ladder. He thinks of the way she grinned when she bested the carnie at his own game.

She’s…delightful. No, it’s more than that. There’s a part of him that wants to protect her from the entire world, keep her safe. He can see sadness hanging over her, moments where she seems to be so alone. Those times alternate with such joie de vivre that for a little while, as he basks in her presence, _he_ feels like life is finally worth living.

But he also wants to fuck her until she can’t even remember her own name, wants to make her come with his name on her lips, his cock buried deep inside her cunt. He can’t remember the last time he’s ever felt like this, conflicted and aroused and scared all at the same time.

_Damn her_.

Or maybe damn his father. Or himself. He has no idea anymore.

He definitely has no idea what he’s doing when he finds himself standing outside her hotel room shortly after dinner. He didn’t intend to end up there.

Well, no. He did.

Maybe.

He doesn’t know what he intends. He almost walks off, almost turns and goes back to his own room to try to get a good night’s sleep. He thinks about it, plans on it. 

But he doesn’t.

No, instead, he raises his hand and knocks on the door. Just three quick raps. He’s already turning to walk off when she opens the door.

“Ben?”

He whips back around to see Rey standing there, leaning against the doorframe, head cocked to the side. “Rey,” he says.

She lets out a small laugh. “You sound surprised to see me.” One of her hands comes up and waves toward the room. “It _is_ my room, you know.”

“I know.”

They both fall silent for a moment, and then Rey’s mouth turns up in a small smile. “I had fun yesterday,” she says, and she almost looks a little embarrassed.

“Yeah. It was…”

“Come in?” she asks, and when she bites her lip, steps back from the door, he’s gone. He can’t do anything else but step through the door and let her close it behind her.

He’s fucked.

Completely fucked.

* * *

She invites him in. She’s not sure what she expects from there. The room feels smaller, somehow, his massive form taking up far too much of the space. She watches as his chest rises and falls, as one hand clenches into a fist and then unclenches.

“What are we doing here?” he asks. His voice cracks on the last syllable.

“I don’t know. I guess…” She clears her throat. “I guess that depends on you.”

“Me?”

She shrugs, just a small movement of her shoulders. “I invited you in the other day,” she reminds him. “You refused. You told me…”

“That it’s not professional.” He cringes a little at the words. “I know what I said.”

“And you stand by it.”

“I do.”

He looks like he wants to say something else, but instead presses his lips together. It’s not like they haven’t crossed that line already. She remembers all too well their kiss the previous night, her wishes that it could go further. Now he’s here, and she doesn’t know why.

“But?” she finally asks.

“I don’t want to care that it’s not professional.”

She takes a step closer to him and his hands come up for a moment, flutter in the air near her shoulders. “It’s not your company,” she points out.

“It’s not.”

“So you’re just a…substitute.” She puts a hand on his chest.

“Even a substitute shouldn’t sleep with a client.”

She shrugs. “Is that what you really want?”

She watches as he swallows hard. “No.”

Her next words are whispered as she leans a little bit toward him. “Then I guess it’s my turn to ask… What are we doing here?”

He only hesitates for another moment. A myriad of emotions pass over his face and it’s fascinating to watch. His eyes squint shut, his shoulders tense, his lips press together. And then he releases a breath, tension flowing out of him. He catches her about the waist with one of his arms and pulls her tight against him.

And then he’s kissing her, a little rough, a little desperate. She opens to him almost immediately, her arms wrapping around his neck, tangling in the soft hair at his nape. She tugs at it and he moans into her mouth. When they break apart, she realizes she’s on her tiptoes and his arms, tight around her waist, are the only thing holding her up.

Her knees feel weak. “Ben,” she whispers. 

He bends and presses his forward against hers. “We shouldn’t.” His voice sounds broken.

“I know.” They shouldn’t.

But then he kisses her again, and this time one of his hands runs down her arm, toys with the bottom of the t-shirt she’s changed into. He’s still hesitant. She’s not. And so she reaches down and pulls the shirt over her head, tossing it across the room.

He sucks in a breath.

“Fuck,” he murmurs. “I didn’t expect…”

“Touch me,” she whispers, reaching down to take his hands in hers, places them over her chest. She knows she doesn’t have much to offer, not there at least, but his hands still tremble a little and he bows his head. “Ben?”

His thumb comes up to graze her nipple and she feels a moan in the back of her throat. “Bed?” he whispers, his thumb still brushing across her nipple, his hand cupping her breast.

“Yes please.” Her voice is a throaty thing, breathy. It’s like some part of her she didn’t know was there has taken over.

Ben moves, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting. Her legs come around his waist without even thinking and she giggles. “Ben! What are you…”

“You said bed.” There’s a bit of humor behind the words.

“I did…” She lets out a quiet shriek as he drops her and then comes to lay half on top of her. 

“So here’s the bed. Now what?” He’s smiling, she realizes. One of her hands comes up and brushes his hair away from his face.

“I like when you smile,” she murmurs.

“You make me smile.” It’s strange how the words come quickly to him, but then his cheeks redden, a tinge of embarrassment. 

“Good.”

He kisses her again, his hand brushing down from her shoulder to her waist, his warmth raising goosebumps across her skin. She feels the path of them, skin tightening at each touch.

His hand touches the waistband of the pajama bottoms she’s wearing and his head comes up, eyes meeting hers.

“You’re overdressed,” she points out.

He doesn’t move for a moment, watching her. And then he finally pulls the sweater he’s wearing over his head, the undershirt following a moment after and… dear God. _Fuck_.

“Fuck, you’re ripped,” she says and then it’s her turn to feel the heat creeping up over her cheeks. “I mean…I kinda knew but…” She clamps her mouth shut and runs her hand down the alabaster marble of his abdomen. He’s like some ancient statue, except that there’s a heat emanating off his skin that almost burns her.

He pulls her tight against him and kisses her again, and she loves the feel of his skin against hers. One of his hands creeps back down toward the waistband of her pants, hesitating again just as he reaches her waist. He toys with the elastic there, and Rey manages to tear her mouth away from his long enough to tell him that yes, please, he may continue down where he’s going and do whatever it is he wants to do.

He smiles as he kisses her again and his hand dips below the waistband, fingers lightly brushing the skin below her navel. She shivers as his fingers run over the curls at the apex of her thighs, and she’s thankful she took some time to trim herself up the other day. Not that she expected it to go this way but…well…they’d kissed. There had been something there. _Better safe than sorry_.

Her legs spread wider as his hand moves further down, one finger running lightly across her entrance. “Fuck,” Ben mutters. “You’re so wet.”

She should feel embarrassed.

She doesn’t.

“For you,” she says, ending on a gasp as one finger presses inside her. It’s been a long time, she realizes, and even that one finger feels huge inside her. She’s used her own. Hell, she’s used her own on this very trip, thinking about this man and his huge hands touching her. 

He slides a second one in and it feels _so_ fucking amazing, stretching her in ways she hasn’t been stretched in what feels like too long. Her experiences have been few and far between and she can’t remember the last time she’d been in bed with a man. A few years at least, and it had been entirely unsatisfying. 

This is anything _but_ that, as he moves his fingers inside her, pumping in and out. He shifts slightly and with a growl of frustration, his fingers leave her. For just a moment, she’s confused, but then he feels his hand tugging at the waistband of her pajamas, and she realizes what he wants. She lifts her hips and helps him tug her pants down.

And then he does something unexpected. He slides off the bed, twists to reach for her legs and tugs her with him.

Rey goes up on her elbows to look at him. “Ben?”

He doesn’t answer, just gives her a feral grin as he pulls her legs apart and leans toward her.

“Oh fuck. Ben you don’t have to…” she starts to say as soon as she realizes his intentions.

He pulls back a little and looks up at her with a slight furrow between his brows. “Do you not want me to?”

“I…” She doesn’t know how to answer that. “I don’t know,” she admits. “No one’s ever done that.” And there’s the truth of it. She’s not inexperienced, but past lovers? They left a lot to be desired. It’s not like she hasn’t thought about it, hasn’t watched porn and imagined what it must be like to have someone’s tongue between her legs. 

But she’s never expected it to happen _._

And Ben looks like he _really_ wants to. He almost seems disappointed when he speaks next. “I don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

She smiles. “I want it.” She barely gets the words out before the look on Ben’s face goes almost completely feral and he leans forward to lick a path up her slit.

And that’s it.

She’ll never not want this again. His tongue is soft, wet, and the noises he makes as he tongues at her clit, as he sucks it into his mouth and lets the flat of his tongue play for it for a moment, are almost obscene. 

Her hands grip his hair and she feels him smile against her. He pushes her legs a little further apart and continues his explorations. The tension is building in her already and she almost feels embarrassed at how fast her orgasm is overtaking her. It usually doesn’t, and only once has a partner managed to get her to come.

She’s teetering so close to the edge and curse words are flying out of her mouth. Curse words, Ben’s name, she’s not even sure what she’s saying. She’s pretty sure if he stops now, she’ll die.

Is that possible? Can one die from a lack of an orgasm?

Not that it matters. He inserts a finger again, crooking it against the front of her walls, and that’s all it takes to push her over the edge. Her fingers tangle hard in his hair, keeping him there as she rides out her orgasm.

It takes her a moment to realize she’s smashing his head against her cunt, and then with a little giggle she releases him. “Sorry,” she mumbles.

He laughs. “Absolutely nothing to be sorry for.” He climbs back up on the bed next to her, wiping the back of his mouth as he settles at her side. Her legs are still hanging off the edge of the bed, and so she scoots up to him, letting him catch her lips in a quick kiss. She can taste herself on him, and it’s not as weird as she would have expected. “I love how much you enjoyed that.”

It’s her turn to laugh. “And now what about you?” She reaches down and cups the bulge she can see in his pants. He’s rock hard beneath her hand and she smirks as he lets out a little hiss at the contact.

“We don’t have to.”

She cocks her head to the side, takes her hand off of him. “You don’t want to?”

“Oh no,” he says, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “I do. But we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” She does. She has since the moment she met him, if she’s honest. And that doesn’t happen to her very often. It usually takes some time to warm up to people, trust coming slowly as she gets to know them. It’s not like she isn’t attracted, but she doesn’t trust enough to be so vulnerable with someone.

She trusts Ben.

She doesn’t know why, but she does. She’s known him for all of a handful of days and here she is, letting him into her space, into her heart even.

“I…uh…I bought condoms,” he admits, and she loves the way his cheeks turn red at it. “Not that I expected it, but, you know, just in case…”

“I’m glad you did,” she cuts him off with. “I thought about it.”

“Did you?” She nods. “Good…good then. Right…”

There’s something so adorably awkward about him in that moment, as he gets up and shucks his pants, reaching into the pocket to pull out a few condoms he had stuffed into the pocket.

“Planning on a repeat performance?” she asks with a smirk.

“I guess we’ll see how the first one goes.”

She sits up on the bed and reaches to the band of his boxers. “I’d say rather well so far.” As she pulls them down, releasing his cock to her view, her eyes widen. It’s a good thing _she_ didn’t go out and get condoms. She’s not sure she would have gotten the right size.

“I…” he starts to say, as he kicks off his boxers. “It’s okay? I’m okay?”

“You’re just…large?” she says, reaching up a hand to wrap around his cock. He sucks in a breath at the contact. 

“I’m not that big,” he says, closing his eyes as she strokes him a few more times.

“Bigger than I’ve been with.” She wonders if she can wrap her mouth around it, and so leans forward letting her tongue touch him before trying to take the entire tip into her mouth. She can, just barely. 

He pulls her head away from him before she has a chance to do much more. When she looks up at him, his eyes are wide. “Maybe later.”

“I’m sorry. I should have asked…”

“No, it’s just that it’s been awhile.” He runs a hand through his hair. “You know. I mean, I’d like to last.”

“Oh.”

She scoots back on the bed and lays back, opening her arms to him. He comes to her with a little growl in the back of his throat, settling himself between her legs. He’s holding himself up by his arms, kneeling there. He rips open the condom wrapper and she watches as he rolls it carefully onto himself. There’s something strangely erotic about it, seeing him carefully pinching the tip, rolling it on and making sure it’s situated correctly.

There’s care there.

He _cares_. 

It hits her hard in that moment. He actually cares about her. About her pleasure, about keeping her safe. She’s not on birth control, has had no reason be on it. But he didn’t ask, didn’t even suggest it. He just made sure she was safe and protected. 

She reaches down below with a slightly shaky hand, grasping him about the base and guiding him to her entrance. There’s a moment there where she worries that they don’t have any lube, that he might be too big to fit without a little extra. But he’s prepared her well. Her cunt still feels soaked from his going down on her and so when the tip slips inside, there’s no pain. 

There’s a stretch, and she lets out a little keening moan at the feel of him inside her. He pushes forward slowly and she looks up to see the sweat on his brow, the look of concentration and care as he makes sure he’s not hurting her. 

When he’s finally seated all the way inside her, he lets out a groan and opens his eyes to meet hers. “You alright?” he asks.

She smiles. “Perfect.” And she is. She wasn’t honestly sure she could take all of him. Her past few lovers had been average at best. Nothing wrong with that and she might have been satisfied with them if they had ever really cared about _her_ pleasure. But she’s not sure she’ll be happy ever again with something average, when she could have Ben. He fills her up in ways she’s never quite known she needed.

He nods.

“You can move,” she says.

“Right.” He lets out a little laugh, but then draws back and pushes slowly back in. He thrusts carefully, shallowly, not too hard, not too fast.

But _fuck_ she needs more, and so she wraps her arms around his shoulders, her legs around him, clinging close. She leans up to whisper in his ear. “Harder. I’m not going to break.”

“Fuck,” he says and then he does move faster, harder. She rides it out, her whole body tingling as every bit of her blood and thoughts rush to where they’re joined. His cock drags on her insides; his pelvis grinding into her clit every time he thrusts. She shifts a little, pushes her pelvis up to his so he’s pressing into her clit even more.

“I’m so close, Ben,” she just barely manages to get out.

“Fuck,” he repeats.

She can feel herself tightening, can feel every muscle in her body as her chest arches up toward him. And then she’s coming again, her cunt clamping hard down on his cock as she feels herself plunge over the edge.

His hands come down to grip her hips and with a couple more thrusts, he lets out a shout as he freezes, pressed into her, his own orgasm hitting him hard.

He slumps forward, his forehead pressed to hers, and then reaches down to hold the condom as he pulls his softening cock out of her. She feels strangely empty with him gone, but he quickly discards it in the trash can at the side of the bed, and lays next to her, pulling her into his arms.

They’re both breathing heavy.

They’re both covered in sweat, hair damp at their temples.

“Wow,” Ben finally says.

Rey yawns. “Yeah.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

She hums a little and then manages to get out. “That was incredible.”

“That’s more like it.” She can hear the amusement behind the words.

“Don’t get cocky.”

“But you liked my…”

“Ha ha. No bad jokes.”

She feels his lips at her temple and his arm tightens around her for a moment. “No bad jokes,” he murmurs. “Not even any good ones, either.”

She hums again, and it takes very little time for her to drift into sleep.


	8. Day 7: Dodge City, KS

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50359619241/in/dateposted-public/)

He wakes slowly, disoriented. It’s like that sometimes on these trips. A different city, a different hotel every single night, nothing where it usually is. He’ll often get up and run into beds, into the wall even, when he turns the wrong way in the middle of the night, groggy and confused as to just which way the bathroom really is.

But this is more, somehow.

He feels something heavy and warm on his chest, and he almost shoves it off before a little sliver of memory returns to him.

_Rey_.

It’s Rey whose head is on his chest, sleeping peacefully curled up close to him. He really shouldn’t disturb her, but he also _really_ should go back to his own room. He knows how this would look to everyone else, sleeping with one of the people whose safety he has been entrusted with. His father would be…

_Actually, no_ …his father would be proud. He’s pretty sure his father has slept with more than one of the people who have been on his tours and the thought always made him feel a little disgusted. And here he is, no better than him. Dear old Dad would be so impressed.

He lets out a soft snort, and slowly slides himself out and away from Rey. He supports her head with his hand until he can slide the pillow under it. She shifts a little, mumbles something in her sleep, but doesn’t seem to come fully awake.

He should feel terrible about sneaking out.

They’d woken once in the middle of the night to a repeat performance from earlier in the night. It had been even better, slow and lazy. They’d taken their time with each other’s bodies and fallen into another exhausted heap.

They have another condom, he thinks. They could do it one more time. But he knows he shouldn’t. It’s getting on toward the wee hours of the morning and he has planning to do for the next day. The _last_ thing he wants is to be caught doing the walk of shame. So he sneaks out, shutting the door quietly behind himself and breathing deeply once he’s in the hallway.

_You’re a coward, Ben_. He can hear his father’s voice in his head as he makes his way back to his own room.

_I know_.

* * *

She wakes delightfully sore and yet, at the same time, refreshed. It had been an amazing night of sex, hard and fast the first time, full of frenetic energy and near-desperation, slow and languid the second time, full of emotions she’s not really sure she wants to identify.

But now?

Now he’s gone.

She wakes cold, her head under a pillow placed a little awkwardly on the bed, with just a sheet tossed over her. He’s left no note and the only sign he’s been there is the smell of sex in the room and the used condoms in the trash bin. 

What is she supposed to make of that?

She wonders if he regrets it. She doesn’t. How could she? It was mind-blowing, really, and even if she doesn’t get to see that elusive tornado she wants to see so badly, the whole trip is worth it for the sex alone. 

But she’d felt such a connection to him, like they were on the same wavelength, and then he disappeared in the middle of the night.

She gets ready slowly that morning, carefully packing up her bag, making sure her camera and laptop are ready to go. She formats her memory card for the camera again, checks settings, and finally gets it all together. It’s their last chase day. Tomorrow will take them back to home base. Her flight leaves in the evening, and then she’ll have to say goodbye to Ben. Maybe forever. 

It hurts.

And it hurts that he’s left her in such a way. She doesn’t know what she expected. He’d made it fairly clear that they shouldn’t be doing it, so why is she surprised when he escapes before he can really face what they’d done?

_Face it, Rey. It’s just a fling to him_. She heads out the door and steels herself for facing him again. She can treat it as such. Just a fling, no big deal. 

_Just mind-blowing sex._

_Just a connection she’s not sure she’s ever felt with anyone before._

No big deal.

She can do this.

* * *

His head shoots up every time someone walks into the little breakfast area. When it’s finally Rey that makes her way in, he watches her for a second before quickly looking back at his computer. She doesn’t approach him right away, instead going to the little continental breakfast that’s set up, loading up a plate full of various items.

He doesn’t know what he expected. For her to declare her undying love for him in front of everyone? Maybe for her to be mad? But she looks _calm_ , he realizes. Resigned, almost. 

He looks back to his computer, studying the maps, the radar. Things are looking good to the north today. An easy four-hour drive up to somewhere in Kansas should get them to just the right spot. It’s extremely hot out there on the plains that day and a cold front is whipping across from the west at a good clip. When it collides with all that warm air, that is where things are going to happen. He can’t pinpoint the area exactly. No one can. But he can get them headed in the right direction and fine tune things as they go along.

This one looks classic, arriving late afternoon and into the early evening. Even now, the meteorologists for the area are predicting an 80 percent chance of a severe thunderstorm, tornadoes possible. It’s their best bet so far to see some truly severe weather on this trip, and he hopes he can produce something for them. 

“You screwed up, huh?”

Ben startles, looks up. Chewie is standing there and there’s such a look of _disapproval_ on his bearded face that Ben sighs. Rey appears to have left the room and he feels his shoulders sag. “I guess?” Ben says, running his hands through his hair, tugging lightly on the strands. “Probably? I…”

“Don’t tell me how,” Chewie interrupts him with a grimace. “Just go fix it.”

“I’m not sure if I can.”

His uncle grunts and then sits, watches him. 

“What?” Ben asks. He can feel his cheeks heat a little.

“It’s okay to be with her,” Chewie says.

“ _Uncle_ …”

“It is. Your father…”

“I don’t want to hear about Dad.”

Chewie smiles. “I’m sure you don’t. But I’m going to tell you anyway.” Ben considers putting his hands over his ears. “Your father wouldn’t begrudge you the love of a good woman.”

Ben snorts. “Love? We barely know each other.”

“Do you?”

Ben frowns. 

“I think you know each other better than you realize.” Chewie glances down at the radar in front of Ben. “Lookin’ good for today.” He stands then, puts one big hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Just think about it, kid.” He strolls off whistling and Ben just wants to put his head in his hands and forget about _all_ of this.

* * *

They leave soon after breakfast. Ben tells them it’s only about a four hour drive to where it looks like the storms are going to form. He’s keeping a close on this one because it could be huge. They’re looking at a strong possibility of a massive supercell, maybe a tornado if they’re lucky.

They stop for a leisurely lunch. There’s plenty of time, he tells them, and there’s no need for them to get out to any one area hours ahead of time. The storm could shift and that would mean getting back in and racing to find it. 

He doesn’t say anything to her on the way up, but Rey catches him watching her. She smiles at him once. His face goes beet red and he quickly looks back at the computer in front of him. They’ll need to talk. Or at least, _she_ needs to talk. 

Rey finds a seat at the diner. Not with Ben. He’s off by himself, Chewie nearby. He has his computer out and he’s so _focused_ on it. 

“So…” Rose says as she sits down in front of her. Jannah joins them as well, and she looks at Rey, then at Ben, and back again. There’s a smirk on her face and a glint of mischief in her dark eyes. Rey offers her an exhausted smile.

“Long night?” Jannah asks.

“What? Why? Do I look exhausted?”

The other two women laugh and exchange glances. “Our room was next to yours,” Rose points out.

“Your… Oh God.” They laugh again and Rey just wants to hide under the table. “I didn’t think…”

Jannah shrugs. “Honestly, if that tree of a man came after me, I wouldn’t think either. Fuck him and be done with it. No emotions, just good old fashioned knockin’ of boots.” She reaches out and slaps Rey lightly on the upper arm. “Good for you girl, for getting that. I suspect you both needed it.”

“If the noises coming from the room were any indication, they _definitely_ did,” Rose says. More laughter. Rey can feel her cheeks heat. She glances up and sees Ben watching them with wide eyes. His gaze flits from Rey to the other two, takes in her no doubt bright red cheeks and the mirth on the other women’s faces and then _he_ turns red.

“Oh how cute!” Rose exclaims. “He’s embarrassed too.”

“ _Rose_ ,” Rey says and she _tries_ to sound menacing. But then she finally smiles. “Yeah well, it was fun.”

“Just fun?” Jannah asks, one eyebrow raised.

Rey leans forward, keeps her voice down. “Okay fine, it was the most mind-blowing sex I’ve ever had, alright?”

“Now _that_ is more like it!” Jannah says. “So tell us all about it.” She reaches out to pat Rey’s hand. “Is he hung?”

Rose laughs.

Rey throws her hands up in the air. “Can we change the subject?”

“Oh come on, this is the juiciest thing going,” Rose says with a pout.

“Why don’t you go talk to the lover boys?” Rey asks, waving a hand to where Finn and Poe are in close conversation. “I’m sure they have something even juicier.”

“Plenty,” Jannah admits with a laugh. “We already got that out of them though. So we want to know about _you_ guys.”

“You’re too much,” Rey says. “And there’s no ‘us guys.’ It was a one-time thing, scratching an itch and all that.”

“Sure, Jan,” Jannah says.

They drop it though, and Rey is thankful for that. 

When they return to the van after they leave, Ben almost stops her. She sees him reach out a hand toward her, but then he pulls it back in, clenching it into a fist and turning away. Rey watches as he boards the van, his eyes downcast.

They _really_ need to talk.

* * *

They stop one more time on the way up and Ben spends far too long hiding out on the van.

No, he’s not hiding.

That’s the wrong word.

Okay okay, he’s _hiding_. He lets the group get off and hit up the convenience store. It’s bathroom break and snack time for everyone. Once they get to the zone where the storms are likely to strike, they won’t have time to stop. Today is a real chase day.

None of them know it yet, but the storms they’re tracking are showing every sign of turning into something major. A supercell at the very least, but there are signs that this may be even bigger than that. He’s not telling them that. He can’t, because if he does and it all fizzles, there’s going to be disappointment. And anger. He hates the anger.

It’s why he doesn’t do these tours, why he left to go chase storms with the First Order, chasing storms for a television show he’s not sure many people even watch. He was the bad boy of the group, all dark hair and black clothes and sunglasses. There, he didn’t have to worry about _people_. He did his own thing and if the storms fizzled, it was what it was. They’d film again the next day.

But here he has people who are relying on him to get them to the best spot. People who spent money, who have their heart set on finally seeing _something_.

And so he stays in the van while everyone gets off, waiting until they’ve been gone awhile before finally closing up his laptop and hopping off to hit the bathroom and find something to drink. He finds Rey standing in line, a large fountain drink of what looks like Mountain Dew in one hand, and maybe three or four different kinds of candy bars in the other.

“Brain fuel,” she says, a sheepish look playing about her face.

“Is that what you call it?” He tries for a bit of a smile, but he knows it must look like a grimace. He doesn’t know what to say to her.

“Ben…” she starts to say, then clamps her mouth shut.

“I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I shouldn’t have…”

“Oh.” He watches as her shoulders fall.

“No…I mean…that’s not what I meant…” He cringes as he tries to find the words. He can’t quite find purchase inside his mind to grab onto them.

“No?”

He sighs. “No. I mean…maybe we should talk sometime? About…you know…”

She glances around. “About what we did last night?”

He nods. 

“I know.”

His hand comes up to brush a lock of her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She smiles at that, and it warms his heart. He did something right. He doesn’t, usually, when it comes to women. There’s a reason he’s never really had a real relationship, and why even the couple lovers he’s taken have been one-night things that never went anywhere.

Cold and aloof. And he’s always prided himself on that. Until now at least.

She watches him for another moment, tilts her chin up. “I don’t regret it,” she says, and there’s something resolute behind the words. “I don’t,” she repeats.

He studies her for a second and fuck if he doesn’t want to lean down and kiss her right there. He looks around though, sees Rose and Jannah watching them, sees Finn and Poe off looking at the various bags of chips in the junk food aisle, Paige glancing up from where she’s looking at the magazines. He shakes his head. No, that certainly won’t do.

He turns away, and he can see the look of disappointment she tries to hide. 

“I…” he starts to say, blinks his eyes hard. “I don’t either.” And then he rushes back out of the store, heading back to the van alone.

Always alone.

* * *

They’ve made so many twists and turns that Rey really isn’t sure where in the plains they’ve landed when they finally come to a stop and all tumble out of the van. “Set up,” Ben says as they all fan out over the area. “Storm’s coming from that direction.” He waves one hand to the west. “Be ready to run for the van.” At that he makes it a point of meeting everyone’s eyes, though his slide away quickly from Rey’s when they meet.

“Are we…” Finn starts to ask, then clears his throat. “Could this thing kill us?”

Ben lets out a little huff of laughter. “Chewie’s _driving_ could kill you,” he points out. “But no. We’ll be staying far enough away. But we may have to get back to the van and take off quickly if the storm turns.” He raises a hand to stop Finn’s next question. “Either to get out of its way _or_ to get into a better position. Take everything but the necessities back to the van once you set up. You may only have time to grab the tripod with your camera attached and race back.” He nods at Rey, and she smiles a little at that.

There’s a flutter of excitement inside her, the feeling that they’re in the right place, the right time. That this is it. 

She knows it may not be.

She _fears_ it may not be.

_Not everyone sees a tornado, Rey. If you don’t, it’s just another reason to go on another tour, see Ben again_. If he does another one. If his father is still unwell or doesn’t want to return.

It’s a lot of ifs.

She moves a bit away from the others, studies the horizon line, and then sets up her camera. She tucks her lightning trigger into her pocket. She may need it eventually and it's better to have it at the ready. It takes no time to hook it up and she already has it set up for exactly what she needs. 

After she’s moved the rest of her things back to the van, it’s the waiting game.

The storm is still far off. Ben is sitting on the step into the van, laptop still open, watching, waiting. Every once in awhile he looks up and meets her eyes, and she looks away. As if she’s not studying him, wishing he’d come over near her.

She feels a little better, knowing he doesn’t regret it. But there’s still so much more to say, so much more she needs to address. Or would address, if she had any idea at all what to say, what she’s feeling about the whole thing. It feels somehow _more_ than just a one-night stand and yet at the same time, that seems to be what it is.

With a sigh, she sits down on the ground next to her tripod and watches the horizon. Where they’re situated, it’s still bright and sunny. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. The map she’s looking at shows that the storm is still more than an hour out. It’s moving quickly, covering ground at an incredible rate, but it’s still a long distance away.

She’s surprised when she feels a presence next to her and looks up to see Ben there, camera in one hand, cell phone in another. “Mind if I sit here?”

She watches him for a moment, but then finally nods her head, slowly. His face lights up with a half smirk and she feels herself melting a little. She’s not the only one. She’s sure of it. He feels something, more than just a good fuck in the middle of an interesting vacation, not just a way to pass the time.

There’s definitely more.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

She can’t quite bring herself to look at him, to meet his eyes. “For?” 

He sighs, “Leaving. This morning. I shouldn’t have just…left like that.”

“No,” she says before she can stop herself. “You shouldn’t have. I thought you were embarrassed.”

“I was,” he says and then cringes. “I mean…not because of you. _Never_ because of you.” One of his hands reaches out and lightly touches her on the knee. “Because of…”

“Yeah, I know. I get it.” She doesn’t need him to elaborate. She knows his feelings on being involved with someone on the tour. “Storm’s getting closer,” she says with a nod to his cell phone. 

He glances down and then back up at the horizon. She can see lightning now, still a bit far off, but the clouds are gathering. They’re darker, and she’s starting to see the line where they’re coming up across the plains. The radar indicates they’re not moving directly at them, instead moving a bit northeast. But Ben is watching carefully, his eyes glued to his screen. She knows he’s looking for any indication that it’s turning in their direction.

He'll keep them safe.

So she stands, hand resting lightly on her camera, as the storm creeps ever closer.

They can see the clouds moving now, can see the occasional streak of chain lightning hitting the ground. The air around them feels alive, somehow, crackling with intensity. The hair on the back of her neck stands up, and she feels cold despite the heat of the Kansas summer air.

She grips her camera hard, changing the view to her LCD screen so she can see the composition at the same time she can watch the storm. She doesn’t want to get buried behind her camera. She wants to see it, feel the power. The photos are important, of course. But the _storm_. That’s why she’s here.

So she watches.

And waits.

Everything happens slowly and yet quickly at the same time.

The clouds gather, come closer. In the space between one breath and the next, the world around them goes dark, far darker than she’s seen so far. One moment it’s a beautiful bright day and then they’re plunged into a deep twilight. She can see the rain out on the plains. It’s dry where they are, the winds high enough to flatten the grasses, their area still untouched. Out there, somewhere, it’s the type of torrential downpour that accompanies these kinds of severe stores. Heavy rain, hail, lightning, thunder. It has everything.

The storm grows, the wind howls, and she realizes there’s rotation. Not the weak rotation they’d seen on the storm their first day there, where it appeared and disappeared almost as fast as they’d seen it. No, the massive clouds are starting to move counterclockwise as the storm continues its march across the plains, gaining speed and twisting tighter together.

Time slows down. It all happens so quickly, but when Rey looks back, it feels like she watched it forever. When she views the pictures she took, it was just a minute, maybe less. That’s all it takes.

A little pouch begins to form, just a small dip in the clouds.

Rey hooks up her wireless shutter. She doesn’t want to miss the storm, but she wants the memories. Ben is next to her with his camera, and she glances over at him. His eyes are bright, focused, his camera held loosely in his hands. Chewie is videotaping it all, and Rey is surprised at how uninterested in the whole thing he seems to be.

She cocks her head slightly to the side and the big man shrugs. He says something, but as the wind is picking up, she can’t quite hear him.

She turns back to the storm.

Ben glances at his phone and nods. Everything seems to be in order.

The pouch beneath the clouds starts to extend toward the ground, turning into more of a cone shape. Rey finds herself holding her breath. It twists, moves up back into the clouds, but then moves down again from another area. This time the spinning is more intense, and she stares, eyes wide.

She almost forgets to hit the shutter she’s holding, but she feels a hand come out to lightly brush against her arm and she blinks. _Right_.

She’s firing off shots, she has no idea how many. It doesn’t even matter. The cone gets bigger, extends further. She sucks in a breath as it nears the ground.

And then it hits.

“Oh my God,” she whispers. No one can hear her over the scream of the wind, she can’t even hear herself, But it doesn’t matter. It’s there and she feels energized, powerful, like she could draw it down herself, smite her enemies. She takes a step forward. “Oh my God!” she shouts.

“Tornado!” she hears someone else shout.

She sees a flash of something out of the corner of her eye and hears Poe shout “Let him go. He’ll feel safer on the van.” Even with the wind, she hears him loud and clear. For a moment, she feels sorry for Finn, but she hopes that it does _something_ for his terror outside of making it worse.

The tornado snakes its way across the plains as they watch, the sound of the wind, the sound of it chewing up the ground hitting them like a freight train. There are rumbles of thunder, lightning. It’s like being on the edge of that roller coaster and just hanging there, looking thousands of feet down and waiting for the fall. 

She manages to look down at her camera and line up a few shots she likes, but then she sets it up to take shots every time it senses lightning, hoping to get _some_ shot that’s the real keeper. She has no idea what she’s getting.

It doesn’t matter.

She’s watching a tornado, a real live tornado, right there in front of her. She turns then, her eyes meet Ben’s, and she can’t help herself. She takes a step toward him and is surprised to see him mirror her action, moving closer to her, his camera down at his side. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer and Rey simply _flings_ herself at him.

He'll catch her.

She knows he will.

And then she’s kissing him, kissing him like it’s the end of the world and she needs to make sure she gets it all in before they’re swept away. When they break apart, she realizes he’s smiling. A big beautiful smile, not that half smirk she’s used to. He laughs and it warms her heart like nothing else does.

He sets her down then and they turn, almost as one, to watch the storm until it finally dissipates as it disappears into the distance.


	9. Day 8: The Return

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50359619191/in/dateposted-public/)

Their final day seems rather anticlimactic. She wakes up this time with Ben in bed with her. He smiles, brushes the hair away from her face, and tells her he should get back to his room, get ready for the day. She kisses him and then he’s dressed and out the door before she can call him back or say anything else.

_Where is this going?_

_Is it going anywhere?_

With a sigh, she gets up and gets ready to go. She’s still reeling a bit from what she’d seen the day before. The tornado had moved away from them some five minutes after it had formed, and then dissipated, gone like it had never been there. But she knows it was. She has the pictures and the images won’t leave her mind, like it’s been burned into her retinas.

And then there was Ben. He had sat with their group at dinner, at her side, had celebrated with her. He’d even comforted Finn, who was still a little shaken up and kept muttering _it had to be this trip, didn't it_ over and over again. When they’d left, they’d gone their separate ways, but Ben had given her _that look_ , so she’d grabbed her toothbrush and a change of clothes and found herself in his room.

The second night was even better than the first, though they were both a little quieter. She had asked him, once, why they were hiding it, and he’d kissed her in response. She’d forgotten about the question then, as they’d frantically stripped their clothes and fucked like it was the last night of the entire world.

It was, she supposes, in a way. Or the last night in their little world at least.

The trip back to Oklahoma City feels like it takes forever. Ben is quiet for most of it, sometimes leaning over to talk to her, but mostly staring out the window. She doesn’t know what to say to him. She wants to ask what they mean to each other, if there’s anything there. They lead such different lives. She’s going to return home to pick up the pieces of Maz’s life, to her place as the owner of her pub, wondering what more there could be for her life.

And Ben? She supposes she doesn’t know where he’s going to go. He has more tours to run this summer, and then? He’s never really given much information about his life before, his life outside of this. She knows he has a degree in meteorology, that he’s helping out his father rather reluctantly after leaving his last job.

Maybe he has nowhere to go.

It’s disconcerting, really. Rey is the one who never has a home, and she has a place to call her own, a place to return to. Ben, though? She’s not sure he has anything. The way he speaks of his father, the way he avoids any conversation about his family at all, makes her wonder what the story is there. Maybe someday she’ll find out. If he doesn’t see this as some sort of summer tour fling. If she ever sees him again.

She watches him as they eat away the miles and finally falls into a fitful sleep, exhausted from their previous night’s activities.

* * *

“Rey.” Someone shakes her shoulder. 

Her eyes open and it takes her a moment to settle on Rose’s face. “Rose?”

“We’re there.”

There, she realizes, as she sits up fully and looks out the window, is the airport. “Fuck, really?” She’d slept through at least the last two hours of the trip, maybe more. Turning, she sees that Ben is not in his seat. “Ben?” she asks.

Rose gives her a sympathetic smile and a bit of a shrug. “He got off as soon as the van stopped.”

Rey gets up, gathers her stuff, and rushes off the van. Chewie is standing there, leaning against it. She starts to ask, and he just shakes his head. There’s this look in the big man’s blue eyes, a little bit of sadness, a little bit of anger. 

“He’s gone?” Her voice is soft, hesitant.

“Yeah,” Chewie says.

“But…” She doesn’t know what else to say. Her mind goes numb, her limbs feeling suddenly very heavy, like she can’t quite hold herself up anymore. She wants to sit down, go back to the van, something. He can’t be gone. “He’s coming back?”

“I don’t think so,” Chewie says, and claps her gently on the shoulder. 

“Come on,” Finn says. She turns to see him watching her with kind eyes. He’s probably relieved that the whole thing is over.

“Did it work?” she asks him.

“Work?”

“Your fear of storms?” She cocks her head to the side as Finn’s face scrunches up a little.

“I don’t think so,” he finally says.

“What was the point then?”

Finn shrugs. “I guess I had to try.”

She nods and gathers up her stuff, looks over at Chewie, who seems like he wants to say something to her. “Yeah,” she says. “I guess I had to, too.”

She takes one final look at the van before shouldering her laptop and camera, and picking up her duffle bag. She walks off without so much as a backward glance.

* * *

He’s a coward.

A fucking coward.

He’s always known it. Snoke, his boss at the First Order, had told him that the day he walked out of the television studio for the last time. Hux had screamed it at him over and over again when he’d been packing up his stuff. 

_Coward._

_Turncoat._

_Who’s going to have you now?_

_Crawl home to mama, traitor_.

He probably will again. He hates himself for it, but he’ll retreat to his parent’s house, hide out in his room like some sullen teenager. His mother will know something is wrong. She always does. It’s uncanny, really, like she has some sort of psychic force inside her that zeroes right in on his emotional state and then rips it the fuck open.

His phone rings.

He glances down.

_Mom_.

Of course. She’s not even _there_ , and she knows something’s wrong. He doesn’t know how she does it and he’s not sure he wants to.

He stares at it for a moment before muting the ring and stuffing the phone in his pocket unanswered.

By the time he leaves the bathroom and returns to the van, everyone but his uncle is gone. The big man just gives him a look. 

“What?” Ben asks.

“She wanted to wait for you,” he says.

“I doubt that.” Ben waves his hand around himself. “She’s gone, isn’t she?”

“Plane’s leaving,” Chewie points out,

“She could have…”

“Stayed?” Chewie shrugs. “You could have too.” He turns then and gets back into the van, taking his customary seat at the wheel. 

Ben doesn’t move, eyes still downcast.

“You coming?” Chewie asks after a minute goes by.

Ben nods. “Yeah,” he says as he grabs on the door frame and pulls himself up into the van. “Yeah, let’s go. There’s nothing here for us.”

Chewie grunts once and then starts up the van. Ben watches out the window until the airport disappears in the distance, and then he closes his eyes, resting his head against the cool glass of the window. 

* * *

[Rose: no word?]

Rey sighs as she reads the text. She and Rose have been keeping in touch ever since the tour ended. Rey had shared with her the photos that she’d gotten and they’d both gone crazy over them. In her redecorating of Maz’s house, she’d ended up getting one printed on canvas and hung it proudly over her new living room couch.

She looks at it every day.

And every day it reminds her of _him_. Of Ben Solo. It's been nearly a month since the tour ended and no doubt Ben is running the next one for his father. _Maybe he fucked one of the women on that tour too._ The words are bitter inside her head and she’s angry for even thinking them.

But she does.

A lot.

He hadn’t regretted it. That’s what he told her. But that was as far as the conversation went. They’d come together the next night, a tumultuous and exhausting night of some of the best sex of her life. But then…nothing.

[Rey: Same answer as yesterday. No. Nothing. I don’t think he’s gonna write.]

[Rose: Did you write to him?]

Rey cringes.

[…]

[…]

[Rose: You didn’t did you?]

[Rey: No]

Her phone rings and she sighs. She almost doesn’t pick it up, but she does. 

She doesn’t even get out the word _hello_ before Rose speaks. “What do you mean you didn’t write to him?”

“I…” Rey’s not really sure how to answer that.

“Well?” She can almost envision Rose standing there, phone in one hand, other hand on her hip, dark eyes narrowed on her. She hasn’t seen her since the tour, but Rose has become such a good friend since then. Sometimes Rey feels like she’s known Rose her whole life.

“I don’t have his cell number.”

“E-mail,” Rose points out.

“It’s for the tour.”

“It’s still his. I seem to recall it was ‘B Solo’ so it’s _his_.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to…”

“Disturb him at _work_ ,” Rose interrupts with, her voice a really sad imitation of Rey’s accent. “Just _do_ it, Rey. You had a connection. Anyone with two eyes could see it. Just write to him. What’s the worst that could happen?”

She’s heard this one before. From Rose, from Finn. She’d even heard Poe shout it from wherever he was with Finn. Those two had become incredibly close and Rey is pretty sure that Poe has moved across the country to be with Finn. It’s sweet, when she thinks about it. But heartbreaking at the same time. Ben had gone to complete radio silence ever since they got back to the airport. He’d disappeared, and that was it, the end of it.

She should be over him.

She’s not.

She sighs. “I’ll consider it,” she mutters into the phone.

“That’s all I ask, babe,” Rose says. They hang up and Rey feels no better for having talked to Rose than she did before she had called.

* * *

He could e-mail her. He _could_. If he really wanted to.

_You want to_.

Or he could call her.

_You hate the phone._

He shudders at the mere thought.

Texting?

_Your thumbs are too big_.

He almost throws the phone across the room. It’s not like it’s not true or anything. He does hate the phone and he does have overly large thumbs. He hates texting. He hates phone calls. 

_You hate your life_.

He cringes as the thought rolls around in his brain.

“Ben?” comes a voice from down the hall.

_You definitely hate your life_. He doesn’t respond right away, and so the voice comes nearer, sounds a bit more annoyed. Why did he come back here? 

_You had nowhere else to go_.

“Benjamin.” She’s clearly exasperated.

He looks up to see his mother standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and eyes slightly narrowed. “Yes mother?”

“Are you going to hide up here forever?”

He smirks. “Maybe.”

“Your father is feeling better. He’d like to see you.” 

Those are, quite honestly, the last words he expected to hear. He’s been home a few days now, hiding out during the small break between tours. It’s not like he’s had anywhere else to go during these times. He’d burned bridges so hard with the First Order when he’d left that Snoke had yanked his apartment out from under him. He’d been forced to salvage what he could from the curb where the movers had dumped it.

So he was home.

Not for long each time. Two tours starting a day apart, and then a couple weeks off when he’d return to his parent’s house and hide out as best he could. The last time his father had still been at the hospital, mostly sedated from his operation. Now he’s home.

Ben sighs.

“Alright, Mom. I’ll be down in a minute.” She disappears, thankfully, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

His father is staying in one of the guest rooms on the first floor. He’s not up for stairs yet, and so they’ve put him up in a very comfortable room down there. He’s grouchy about it, because of course he is. Ben’s father has always been active, always had a devil may care attitude about everything in his life: health, relationships. He takes the punches as they come and rolls with them.

There are days Ben wishes he could do that. If he was more like his father, he would have called or texted Rey by now.

“Son,” his father says as he enters the room.

“Han,” he answers and his father rolls his eyes.

“Are we still on that one? I almost died and it’s still ‘Han’.” His father levels his gaze on him. “Come on, kid. Sit down.”

Ben watches him for a moment before finally taking the seat at his bedside. “Alright, Dad.” The word sounds strange on his lips. He’d tried so hard to distance himself from his family, taking on a new name, a new identity, running away to join the First Order and chasing tornadoes _their_ way. It was dangerous, getting too close, taking too many risks. Others had been lost along the way, but Snoke, the CEO of the First Order, hadn’t cared. They’d been weak. 

Ben was weak too.

Or so Snoke had shouted at him as he’d walked out on that last day. One of their drivers, a mousy, shy young man named Mitaka, had almost been killed in a stunt that Ben _knew_ was bad. There are ways to face down Mother Nature’s fury and Snoke had gotten them too close, had pushed them until Mitaka was facing down the tornado alone. He’d barely escaped with his life, and last Ben knew, he was still in a rehab facility trying to regain his ability to walk.

Ben had wanted out for what felt like forever.

It had been as good an excuse as any.

His father is watching him with that same sardonic half smirk Ben sometimes sees in the mirror. There aren’t many times he feels like he looks like his father, but right now the resemblance is uncanny.

“So what happened, Ben?” Han asks him.

“What…”

“On the tour?”

“Which one?” Ben says, and he hates the way his voice cracks on the words. He’s a terrible actor, never has been able to hide his feelings from his parents. He’s buried them pretty deep inside himself and somehow managed to look unemotional and bored. But they’re always there, roiling just below the surface.

Rey brings them out of him. And that terrifies him.

“You know the one, Ben.” His father gives him a nod, one of _those_ looks. “You’ve been a sullen mess since then.”

Ben scoffs. “I’m always a sullen mess. Or have you forgotten that?”

“This is different,” his father points out. 

Of course he’d know. Or his mother did, at least. He’d seen the looks she’d given him. _It’s a girl, isn’t it?_ Fuck her if she doesn’t know him through and through. He’s barely seen his parents for years and he comes home and his mother just _knows_. 

“I met someone…”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” There’s a slight furrow between his brows.

“She was one of the women on the tour…”

“So?”

“So?” Ben repeats. “It’s wrong.”

“Not if she’s the right one.”

“I don’t know if she’s the right one!” Ben explodes with. He knows, though. He damn well knows, but he’s too fucking scared to do anything about it. He has her address, her phone number. He could call, text, fucking show up at her address like the lovesick lead in a romantic comedy. But he’s _Ben_ and he’s pretty sure she’s happily moved on.

She probably doesn’t even think about him anymore.

“ _Ben_ ,” his father says, the word harsh, sharper than before. He leans a little forward in his bed before slumping back down. “Do something about it.” He points a finger at him. “I mean it. Don’t waste your life wondering.”

Ben makes another scoffing noise.

“Chewie says she feels the same.”

Ben gets up then, slams his fist against the door frame, and stalks out of the room. _Chewie_ , of course. He should have known his dad’s best friend would have run right back to him and reported on everything that happened on that tour. It’s not like he hid the fact that there was some involvement.

Everyone saw that kiss after the tornado.

And Chewie had given him one of _those_ looks when they got back on the van after. Of course he went back to Han and shared everything with him. Ben's face heats as he storms back to his room.

Damn his father.

And damn Chewie.

He just wishes they weren’t right.

* * *

Rey wipes down the bar and then turns, leans her hip against the side of the counter. She’s been running the bar for a couple months now and she finds she _likes_ it. She doesn’t have to be there every day. Maz ran a tight ship and Rey just has to ride along on it.

She’s made a few changes here and there. Removed some of the ugly paintings that Maz had insisted on keeping despite the fact that she hated them too. _What would we replace them with?_ Well, Rey has that answer now. As soon as she’d gotten back and done some post-processing on her images, she’d sent them off to a lab and gotten back some lovely prints. They now hang proudly behind the bar and in a few select places in the pub. 

It’s her home away from home now, and she loves it. It’s her life. She never imagined being the owner of a pub or of an old Victorian house that creaks when she walks up the stairs and has a long and varied history. Maz had loved the house, and so does Rey.

With a sigh, Rey nods at her handiwork and dumps the rag in a bucket behind the bar. It’s lights out for the place. They’d closed over an hour ago, and she’d sent everyone home: bartenders, waitstaff, the guys in the back who take care of the dishes. She likes these moments she has alone in her pub. The music plays softly overhead and she dances as she cleans, wiping down tables, putting away dishes and sweeping floors. It’s her time, her moment to just _be_. 

She’s humming softly to herself when there’s a loud pounding on the front door.

It makes her jump and she snarls a little in irritation at it. “We’re not open!” she shouts without so much as a glance at the door. It’s not the first time some drunk has tried to come into the bar after hours. She doubts it will be the last.

They pound on the door again.

“I said we’re closed! Go find some dive bar or something!” 

Another loud knock.

Some people are _so_ persistent. She turns to walk to the door. She won’t open it, but maybe if they see her angry face and her finger pointing at the “Closed” sign, they’ll just go away. 

But then she hears her name, muffled through the glass of the door.

Another knock.

“Rey please, open up the door.”

She freezes, one hand coming up to grip the nearest chair. Her eyes shut, her heart seems to stop and then suddenly speed up. When she gets to the door, she can see him through the clear glass.

_Ben_.

He looks tired. That’s the first thing she notices. Dark circles mar the pale skin below his eyes, his hair askew. His clothes are wrinkled and his eyes a little wild. 

She stares at him through the glass.

He stares back at her.

“Ben?” she finally manages to choke out. He looks terrible and wonderful all at the same time.

He offers up that half-smirk she forgot she loved so much. It pierces her right down to the bottom of her heart. _Fuck_. She had forgotten how much she missed him, how much she _cared_. For a moment she’s back at the amusement park, back with that tornado in the distance, the view of a lifetime.

“Are you…” He waves a hand at the door. “You know?”

She blinks once and then shakes herself, like she’s just come out of some sort of trance. “Right. I’m sorry.” She reaches forward to fling the door open but it doesn't budge. “Fuck.” She looks up to meet Ben’s eyes. “Sorry. It’s locked.”

“You have the key I’m sure?”

“I do.” She continues to stare at him for a moment and then – “Right. I do. It’s right here.” She pulls it out of her pocket, fumbles, drops it. “Fuck,” she says again, and then laughs. She finally gets the key in the door and unlocks it, pulling it open.

And then Ben is there.

And she has no idea what to say.

“Hi,” he says, and runs his hand through his hair.

“Yeah um…hi.” 

“Can I come in?”

She blinks once, twice. “Right, sure, of course.” How many times does she say that before she starts sounding like a complete idiot? She steps back and he walks into the pub. _Her_ pub. Ben Solo is standing in her pub and she’s locking the door behind him. 

They’re alone in her pub.

In the middle of the night.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asks.

“So funny thing,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to see you.” He shrugs with the words, like they’re no big deal. 

She feels her heart melt a little, feels tears prick at the corner of her eyes. “Really? It’s been like, two months, Ben. _Two months_.”

“I know.”

“Why now?” She can’t quite decide if she wants to throw herself into his arms or scream at him. She’s excited. She’s angry. She doesn’t know how to react or even what to do. She misses him, has missed him terribly since they parted ways. She dreamed of this moment and dreaded it at the same time.

He looks away from her, shoves his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know.”

“You…”

“No, that’s not quite right. I can’t stop thinking about you.” He can’t meet her eyes and she sees color high up on his cheeks. “And you know, my dad…”

“He’s okay?”

“Yeah. He’s a tough old bastard. He’ll be fine. A little heart surgery won’t get him down.” 

She nods. “Good.”

“Yeah.”

They both fall silent. Their eyes meet, flit away.

Rey laughs. Just a light, awkward little thing.

Ben makes a huffing noise in the back of his throat.

Their eyes meet again, for just a moment.

“This is…” Rey starts to say, just as Ben moves forward. One of his arms snakes around her waist and hauls her in close to him. Their eyes meet, and this time they don’t look away. Ben’s lips are parted, his eyes dark, earnest. He searches her eyes, his moving back and forth rapidly as he tries to discern _something_.

She wants to look away from the intensity of his gaze. She can’t, though, not until one of his hands comes up and cups the back of her head and he kisses her. Soft, slow, deepening the kiss only after she lets out a small gasp.

She loves his mouth, soft and plush against hers. She kisses him for a few more moments before putting her hands up on his shoulders and pushing away from him. “Ben,” she murmurs. “What are we doing?”

“I know I haven’t done it that much, but I’m pretty sure that’s what they call ‘kissing.’” That half-smile is back again and she groans.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

He sighs and releases her, one hand coming up to run through his hair. “I know,” he starts, and then turns away. She watches him as he breathes hard, starts to speak, stops, tries again. “I know this whole thing is probably crazy. It was what? One week of our entire lives. But I have _never_ felt this connected to someone. I can’t get you out of my mind. Every night I fall asleep and I remember the feel of you in my arms and I wake up remembering seeing your face on the pillow near mine. And I _want_ it again.” He takes a deep breath. “I want you. If you’ll have me.”

Rey sucks in a breath. Then another. 

“Why did it take so long?” she blurts out and clamps her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean that,” she mumbles into her hands before removing them. “I could have contacted you, too. I know.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I…”

“You were afraid.” The words are not unkind, and she finds that they make her shiver a little.

“Yes,” she whispers.

He moves back toward her again, reaches out to take her hands in his. “I was afraid too,” he admits. “Terrified, even. I…I thought if I just disappeared it would be the best thing.”

“For you?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “For _you_. But I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried.”

“And so you….” She lets the words trail off.

“I want to try,” he says, the words simple, but holding such a weight of meaning. 

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, isn’t sure _what_ to say. A few moments ago she was alone, getting her life in order as best she could. And now Ben is here, rushing in like the chaos of a tornado bearing down on her life. She loves tornadoes. She thinks she could love Ben too, may already be halfway there. “I’d like to try, too,” she says quietly.

He smiles, no half about it this time, a full wide smile, showing slightly crooked teeth and a sort of shy dorkiness that makes her insides melt. And then he kisses her again. Kisses her like this is the _beginning_ and not the end.

And it is, she realizes, as she takes his hand in hers and offers to drive him back to her place. It’s the beginning of something wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The image of the pub in the mood board is from my "home pub" (as it were). This is where, in non-pandemic times, I play Irish traditional music with my husband and some friends.


	10. Epilogue

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/thespottedtongue/50358918313/in/dateposted-public/)

“We’re going to be late!” Ben shouts.

“I’m never late,” Rey huffs.

Ben ducks his head into the room. “You’re never late, except when you are. Which is  _ always _ .” He smirks.

She sticks her tongue out at him, and he laughs. She still loves his laugh and the big grin that accompanies it. It’s been a year since their first tour together. An entire year, and she’s not quite sure how so much time has passed already.

“Come  _ on _ ,” he says. “They’ll be standing outside the door waiting if we don’t get down there soon.”

Rey sighs and follows him out of the hotel room. He’s often like this, antsy like a toddler who can’t wait to eat the candy bar his mother got him. She may be perpetually late, but Ben has no patience. Together, they’re quite the pair.

“I feel like I should check on the pub,” she says, pulling her cell phone out as they get in the elevator. There are memories there and she smiles. It’s the same elevator they’d been in after Poe had so unsuccessfully hit on her, and she smiles at the memory.

“Relax,” Ben says, reaching out to put his hand over the one that still holds her cell phone. “Mitaka’s on top of things.” After Ben’s former coworker had gotten out of the hospital, he’d been jobless, and Rey had offered him a position at the bar. It turned out that not only was he a hard worker, but he had a knack for bartending and customer service. He’d become indispensable and this summer, when she and Ben decided to help out his father with the tours, Mitaka had agreed to manage the pub in her place.

“I know. He has a good head on his shoulders. He’ll be fine.” She tucks the cell phone back in her pocket. “It’s just…”

“I know,” Ben says. He pulls her close to him and kisses her softly on the lips. “Everything will be fine.”

She nods, and he wraps his arms around her, rests his chin on top of her head.

The elevator makes a soft  _ ding _ and they separate as they head off toward the room. Ben reaches out and takes her hand in his, entwining their fingers. Han is there to greet them, just outside the door. He gives them that same sardonic half-smirk that she’s come to think of as “the Solo grin.”

“Hey kids.” He reaches out and claps his son on the back, then kisses Rey on the cheek. The two have, if not mended all their fences, at least come close. Chewie is taking the summer off from driving for the tour. He doesn’t want to and it’s the first time Han will be running it without him, but he needed a knee replacement from an old injury when he and Han had been young and stupid and nearly lost their lives to a storm. He’s already had the operation and is in rehab, doing well from all accounts.

He’ll be back on the road the next year.

But this year, Ben is playing driver, and his father couldn’t be more excited.

Rey’s along for the ride, spending the entire summer with Ben and his father, chasing storms with the group.  _ It costs nothing more to have you along, kid.  _ She’s still blushing a little from that implication. Han’s not shy about such things. Neither is Ben’s mother, Leia. She’s a powerhouse of a woman, one who tends to embarrass Ben, sharing baby pictures and stories that make him blush right up to the tips of his overly-large ears.

Rey had tried to talk her into going with them, but Leia had waved them off and told them it was her time for  _ peace _ around the house. She had leveled her serious gaze on Rey.  _ The Solo men are known for creating chaos, Rey. Don’t you forget that _ . And then she’d grinned with all the affection a wife and mother can have for the men in her life.

“You two ready?” Han asks.

Ben wraps an arm around Rey and pulls her in close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Always,” Ben says.

Han turns and walks into the room. Rey and Ben follow, and as they step over the threshold, she closes her eyes for a moment. There are memories there, of meeting Ben for the first time, of her first taste of the life she now seems destined to live.

_ You knew Maz, didn’t you? _

“You okay?” Ben asks when Rey doesn’t move forward with him.

Her eyes open and she smiles at him. “Never better.” And she steps into the room at his side, ready to begin the rest of her life.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks for the ladies of the Reylo Fic Recs chat, who I couldn't have done this with out, and to the awesome mods of the RFFA for all the work they put in for this!


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